


Just A Glance

by bel_halliwell



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-21
Updated: 2015-06-22
Packaged: 2018-03-31 12:48:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 34,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3978649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bel_halliwell/pseuds/bel_halliwell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It all began with a glance. They didn't know how things would turn up, but there was no stopping it. Pitch Perfect, Bechloe style.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

Chapter One

It all started with a glance.

To be completely honest, Beca wasn't interested in joining a club, or group, or any kind of college activity unless it was a DJ gig at the campus radio. Yet it was nicer walking around outside, getting to people watch and absorb the feeling of the grounds that would be her new home for the next six months, rather than hang out in her dorm with her new roommate in awkward silence.

A flash of red caught her eye.

Beca glanced to the movement, and saw a woman tossing her hair over her shoulder. She was a beautiful redhead, standing with a blonde and handing out fliers, and had gorgeous eyes and lips that –

Beca shook her head, momentarily puzzled by herself. What was she thinking? Her attention was caught by a gorgeous girl? She was straight, and definitely not looking for a college romance. She determined that she had not had enough sleep the night before, and mentally brushed the thought away. However, her curiosity was peaked, so she slowly made her way over to the two women to see what they were promoting.

An acapella group. Not something that she had considered, and most likely would be something that would take time away from mixing her sounds. And although, personally, she thought she was a decent signer, she wasn't overly interested in making her singing public. That was strictly limited to the shower, solo car rides, and the occasional spur of the moment bursts when she was home alone.

"You should really join," the redhead said with a smile as she pressed a flyer into Beca's hand. "What was your name?"

Beca's eyes flicked over the flyer, yet soon strayed back to the bright eyed woman explaining about making music with their mouths. A quick glance over to the blonde next to her, however, told her that she was not welcome in the group. That was fine by her.

"Beca. Um, thanks, but I don't sing," Beca replied, unable to stop the extremely brief apologetic smile that formed on her lips to the redhead. She turned quickly, and continued to make her way through the activity fair, mentally picturing the look of satisfaction that would be on the blonde's face right now. Chancing a quick glance back, she saw the blonde had already moved on and was talking to a large blonde girl. The redhead, however, was shooting Beca a glance at the same time. Beca held her gaze for only a second, barely registering the light fluttering that suddenly started in her belly, before shaking her head and refocusing on where she was going.

Chloe felt a pang of disappointment as the brunette turned away from their table. She didn't quite know how to explain it, but she just felt a really strong vibe from the petite woman, despite the tattoos and ear piercings.

She was vaguely aware of another student coming over to their table, and before refocusing, she spared one last fleeting look at the retreating figure. At that moment, the brunette glanced back over her shoulder at Chloe.

Chloe actually felt her breath hitch as they made eye contact for such a brief moment, before the woman turned back and continued on her way.

Hopefully, I will see her again, Chloe thought, as she turned to the blonde girl that was introducing herself to Aubrey.

She didn't allow herself to ponder why she was so interested in the thought of seeing the mystery girl again.  
________________________________________

Well.

The first week of college was almost over.

It had been a somewhat successful week, as Beca had managed to score a gig at the college radio station, albeit considerably less glamorous than she had hoped. No air time, and hours spent sorting and stacking CD's. Not quite the kickass DJ role she was hoping for.

Well, I have to start somewhere, she reasoned with herself as she left her dorm room, heading towards the bathrooms. She was purposely going later in the evening, in the hopes of taking a peaceful shower without the chatter and bustle of twenty college girls all trying to shower and dress and fight for prime space in front of the two mirrors.

Hanging her towel on the hook outside her stall, Beca turned the knobs and allowed the heat and pressure of the water to cascade on her back. Steam fogged up around her, and she subconsciously lowered her guard, to simply enjoy a moment of peace.

As she started to lather up her bar of soap, her mind ran to the latest mix she was working on.

"I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose. Fire away, fire away…" she sang to herself, closing her eyes as the music took over her mind.

"You can sing!"

Beca gasped as her eyes flew open. The redhead from the acapella group stood before her, one hand clutching the side of the shower curtain and a wide grin on her face.

"Oh my god!" Beca tried desperately to cover her modesty, and the thought of getting up extra early to shower would have been a better idea shot through her mind. She tried desperately to look anywhere but at the naked, wet, beautiful woman before her.

Her brain then asked why she thought of the naked, wet woman as beautiful.

"You have to join the Bella's," the redhead stated as she reached forward to turn the water off.

"I can't concentrate on anything until you cover your junk," Beca begged, knowing that her face was most likely turning an unflattering shade of red. Her eyes flickered down at the woman's body, glimpsing a toned stomach and perfectly rounded breasts, before looking up to the ceiling and swallowing heavily.

It doesn't help when the redhead is telling her that Titanium is her lady jam, and it's all Beca can do to not let her mind create images.

"Seriously, get out," she tried again.

"Not until you sing for me," replied the redhead. She took a step closer to Beca, who instantly felt her heart rate increase.

Pausing for a moment, she looked into the woman's eyes to see encouragement, support and warmth. Drawing a slow, shaky breath, she softly began to sing the first few words of Titanium.

The redhead joined in, providing a higher pitch that blended perfectly with Beca's lower tone. The sounds of the song rose and fell, as their voices created a harmony that was beyond sweet to the ears. The music bounced off the shower tiles and wrapped around them, and Beca suddenly began to reconsider the thought of being in an acapella group. She kept her eyes trained on the redhead, noting how blue her eyes were.

As the final word echoed through the showers, the redhead beamed at Beca. "You have to try out for the Bella's. I won't take no for an answer."

"Okay, fine, whatever. I'll try out," Beca replied hastily, as the distraction of the music passed and she became well aware that they were both still very naked.

The redhead flashed another grin, and turned to leave. "Oh, and the name's Chloe," she called out over her shoulder as she exited the stall, the shower curtain flapping back to hang limply down.

Beca leaned back against the cool tiles of the shower wall, trying to process what had just happened. It appeared she had somehow agreed to audition for an acapella group. And despite the fact that she didn't have to show up, she could just bypass the audition and hit up a music store or do some more CD organising or even, god forbid, hang out at her dorm room with her roommate, she realised that she kinda wanted to see Chloe again.

Chloe. She didn't know why, but something about her intrigued Beca.

TBC...


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

As student after student attempted to match the notes to one of Kelly Clarkson's better songs, Chloe slumped further and further into her seat.

The mystery shower girl, Beca, didn't show up.

"What do you think of her?" Aubrey whispered with a nudge, leaning forward in her seat to get a closer view of the final singer on stage.

"She was cool, I liked her," replied Chloe. The girl was good, as were several others that had auditioned which Aubrey had scrawled their names onto her list. None of them had the same impact as the mystery girl though. No one's voice came close to matching the dulcet melody that was the girl's voice.

Just as the stage manager was announcing the end of the audition, Chloe caught a glimpse of brown hair at the side of the stage, hovering around the curtain. It was the woman from the showers.

"Wait! There's one more!" she called out, motioning the woman over to the centre of the stage with a bright smile.

"I'm Beca. Sorry, I didn't know I had to prepare a song," the brunette said nervously as she moved to the front of the stage. She tried to ignore the jeers that were coming from the large group of males at the back.

"That's okay, just show us whatever you've got," replied Chloe. She watched as Beca leaned forward, removed the pens from Aubrey's cup of spare writing instruments and placed them down gently. Holding the cup with both hands, Beca hesitated slightly before sitting down, cross-legged, and placing the cup reverently in front of her.

Chloe watched, in awe, as Beca created a rhythm with the cup, and began to sing. Her voice seemed even more captivating in the theatre than it did in the echoing bathroom. She leaned forward in her seat slightly, not wanting to miss a moment.

"Right. Thanks," announced Aubrey, when Beca finished her song and rose to her feet, awkwardly toying with the cup. "We'll let you know."  
Beca lightly tossed the cup back to Aubrey, and shot Chloe a small smile as she exited the stage. Chloe followed her departure with her eyes, before turning to Aubrey excitedly.

"She was great, wasn't she? The best we've heard all day, for sure," she chattered, as the blonde gathered her pens back into the cup.

"She was okay, I guess. But if she's going to be a Bella, we'll have to do something about her look. It's so not who we are, especially those horrible ear piercings. Seriously."  
Chloe closed her mouth, and kept her thoughts to herself as she duly followed her friend out of the theatre.  
________________________________________

The following morning, Beca found herself awake at 7am. While this might be considered a normal time for most; it wasn't an hour that was often experienced by Beca; she was a night owl and preferred a long sleep in over rising early. However, today didn't seem to be her day for relaxation, as Kimmy Jin was having a loud, undecipherable conversation on her cell phone. Perhaps a quick walk to get coffee would be the smarter alternative to staying in bed.

Five minutes later, Beca was making her way across campus, away from her dorm and towards the coffee cart located near the fitness centre. She had heard, through word of mouth, that it offered the best coffee on campus, and was always open for the early risers wanting to squeeze in a quick workout before breakfast. Fortunately for her, there was no queue, so she placed her order and drummed her fingers absently on the bench as she waited, new mix ideas running through her head.

"Beca! Good morning!" said a bright, cheery voice, as a hand was placed on Beca's shoulder. Surprised that there was someone who knew her out and about this early, she turned to be greeted by a smiling Chloe.

"Hey there," replied Beca, eyeing the redhead's workout clothes and small gym bag draped over her shoulder. "You're up early."

"Well, I could say the same about you," Chloe responded. She leaned over Beca's shoulder and placed her coffee order, slipping a few bills on the counter and then turning back to the brunette.

"My dorm mate isn't exactly conducive to having a sleep in, apparently. I'm presuming you were working out?"

"I've come to learn that an early morning workout every now and then is much more preferable to listening to Aubrey stressing the importance of having a high stamina level." Chloe chuckled at the face Beca made, and then reached forward to collect the two coffees that the barista was handing out. She passed one to Beca. "Are you busy right now or want to hang out for a bit?"

Beca wasn't used to people being so friendly and forward to her. However, Chloe gave off the impression of self confidence and cheerfulness, and made those around her want to draw a little closer. "Sure," she replied, accepting the coffee.

"Oh, cute tattoo!" Chloe exclaimed, catching a glimpse of the grasshopper on Beca's forearm. Beca blushed.

"It's not cute," she countered, as the two women began to walk away from the cart in no particular direction.

"Right. Not cute. Why did you choose it? That is, if you don't mind me asking. I know that tattoos can be personal things," said Chloe, glancing to the woman next to her.

"It's for my father. He used to call me his little grasshopper, when I was young. That was before my parents went through a really messy divorce and everything changed. It's to remind me of simpler times," Beca explained, before faltering. "Wow, I've never actually told anyone that story before. You better not tell anyone, or I'll have to cause some serious harm to you."

Chloe chuckled, and slung her free arm casually over Beca's shoulder. The brunette stiffened at first, not being used to being touched by others, but slowly loosened up and managed a small smile.

"Don't worry, you're secret's safe with me. In fact, I'll even the playing field. I have this," she said as she tilted her wrist slightly so that Beca could see the tiny ladybug tattooed there, "which I got last year. It's for my aunt, who passed away from cancer. She and I were pretty close, she was the one who really got me into singing. She had an amazing garden that always had ladybugs in it, and they really remind me of her. She was pretty special to me."

"I'm sorry to hear that she passed away," Beca said in a softer tone, meeting the redhead's gaze.

"It's okay," Chloe replied, and paused. "I like that we both have bug tattoos though."

Beca smiled. "Me too."

The two women continued to walk around campus, chatting about how they each got into music. Beca was somewhat surprised at how easily she and Chloe were finding it to hang out and talk and not feel awkward or anything. Beca didn't have many friends, and none that she was particularly close with either, so the chance of making a new friend was definitely a positive development in her college life. The only thing that she was finding difficult, was how much Chloe managed to touch her during their walk. There was the arm over the shoulder for a bit, and there were some nudges, some brushes on the arm. Beca had grown up with very little physical contact from her parents, and when they split up, she built even higher walls around herself. And now, it resulted in not being a touchy-feely kind of girl.

She thought she was doing a somewhat decent job of hiding her awkwardness of the touching, until Chloe stopped them short.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" she asked, staring intently into Beca's eyes. "It's okay if you'd rather not though."  
Rather than verbally respond, Beca nodded her head slightly in consent.

"Does it bother you when I touch you?" Chloe asked bluntly, and Beca faltered slightly.

"No..." she drifted off, not wanting to hurt the redhead's feelings, and then crumbled under Chloe's gaze. "Okay, it's not that I don't like it, it's more that I'm not used to it. I didn't grow up in a place where I was given much physical contact. But I've known you for barely a few days, and I've already gotten the impression that you're a touchy-feely kind of person. And that's okay. And I like it when you're casual and just being yourself, so it's okay. I'll get used to it."

Chloe smiled at the honesty of the brunette. "I'm glad you told me, thanks. And if it ever bugs you, just let me know, I won't be offended. I guess I grew up the complete opposite, but even Aubrey thinks I can be a little overbearing sometimes. I don't want to scare you off and ruin the chance of us becoming really good friends, okay?"

Beca responded with a smile, which in turn made the redhead beam back.

"Shoot, it's already eight, I need to get going. I'm supposed to meet Aubrey soon to get things ready for this evening. Um, I can't exactly tell you, because it'd be breaking the Bella rules…but make sure you wear something nice to bed tonight, okay?" Chloe gave her a wink, and reached forward to give Beca a hug.

Beca barely had time to bring her arms up to awkwardly pat Chloe on the back, before Chloe pulled away, flashed another grin, and called out a goodbye over her shoulder as she headed away.

Beca stood still for a few moments, processing the events of the morning. While she felt a bit like she and Chloe were opposites in a few big ways, they also had a great connection. With any luck, and Beca shook her head slightly at the idea of even thinking it, they actually would become good friends.

**TBC...**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

At the stroke of eleven pm, there was a sharp rap on the door. Beca, who was at her laptop working on a new mix, glanced over at Kimmy Jin, reading on her bed. The woman didn't even glance up.

"Don't worry, Kimmy Jin, I'll get the door!" Beca muttered, mostly to herself, rolling her eyes. She pulled the door open, to see a grinning Chloe waiting.

"Beca! C'mon, it's initiation night!" she said brightly. "Oops, I wasn't meant to tell you that," she added, biting her lip. "Don't tell Aubrey, okay?"

Beca gave her a furtive smile. "Don't worry, it'll be our little secret," she said. "So, what's this initiation business all about?"

"Throw some shoes on," Chloe instructed. Leaning in, she whispered, "I'll tell you on the way, okay?"

________________________________________

Beca was officially a Bella.

To be honest, she was weirded out by the initiation at first, because it was the first initiation she'd ever experienced – okay, it was the first _group_ she had been part of. She wouldn't have been surprised if it really were blood in the chalice, considering how seriously Aubrey seemed to take things. Fortunately Chloe was there to reassure her.  
Initiation moved from the rehearsal hall to outside, where there was a full blown a Capella party happening. Trebles were mixing with the High Notes and the BU Harmonics, and the Bella's started giggling and spreading out as they chatted to other students and drank spiked punch from red cups.

Chloe was getting into the spirit, as she loved this party every year. It was her chance to get to know the girls that she would be spending a lot of time with over the next year, in a more relaxed setting. She helped herself to a drink, and watched Aubrey glance around before taking a seat next to Fat Amy.

Finishing her drink, Chloe surveyed the scene before spying Beca chatting to one of the Trebles. What was it about Beca that made Chloe want to draw closer? She wasn't sure, but then again, she had always been a light drinker, and the small amount of alcohol in her system was already allowing her to listen to her inner chatter.

She made her way towards Beca, grinning when she saw the Treble move away. Taking his place, she leaned close to Beca and took hold of her wrists. She noticed fleetingly that her thumbs were pressing right on Beca's pulse points, and swore that she felt the brunette's heart rate speed up slightly. Or was she just _hoping_ that's what she felt?

"I'm really glad I met you," Chloe said to Beca, bringing her face close. She gave Beca a wide smile, hoping that she was conveying sincerity. "I think we're going to be fast friends."

"Well, you did see me naked," replied Beca with a wink. She had watched Chloe have a drink out of the corner of her eye, and was amused with how much looser Chloe seemed – not that she thought it was possible, considering how confident and self-assured Chloe appeared normally.

"You should be a lot more confident naked. You're kind of gorgeous, you know?" Chloe said to her.  
Beca opened and closed her mouth wordlessly, and simply settled for shaking her head.

"Come with me to get a drink?" Chloe asked hopefully. She gave Beca's wrists another squeeze, and this time was certain that Beca's heart rate jumped slightly.

"Uh, I'd love to, but Jesse's gone to get me one already," Beca replied, appearing truly disappointed.

Chloe's face dropped for the slightest moment, before she recovered with a wide smile, and ran her hands up Beca's arms. "Alright. Well, I'm going to get a drink. This ginger needs her jiggle juice!"

Beca watched, amused, as Chloe shook her ass jokingly before heading off.  
_______________________________________

Chloe collapsed onto her bed with a tired sigh.

She was _exhausted._

It had been a huge week for her, she had been rehearsing non stop with the Bella's in order to prepare for the fall mixer the following day. Some of them really needed help, like how Stacie tried to grope herself with every dance move, Denise almost broke her ankle while trying to walk in heels, and Lilly still couldn't be heard above a whisper.

And then there was Beca, who appeared to be struggling with the dance moves. Although, honestly, Chloe thought that Beca knew exactly what she was doing, and was more pretending to pull Aubrey's leg – and it worked every time.

On the plus side, Chloe got to put her arms around Beca, and lean into her from behind, and that felt…nice. She didn't allow herself to question why she thought that, or why a tiny part of her hoped the opportunity might arise again. I'm too busy to be thinking about anything but helping the Bella's get ready, she told herself.  
And this was true. She and Aubrey had devoted pretty much every spare second into teaching the girls the song, dance moves, and then giving a few of them one-on-one instruction.

Honestly? Chloe didn't think it was enough. She'd tried to stay positive, and convince Aubrey that it was going to be 'aca-awesome!' but truth be told, she knew deep down that the Barden Bella's were not yet polished enough for a public performance. She'd get nowhere with trying to explain that to Aubrey, however, so she simply hoped for the best, and lay down on her bed to get started on some reading for one of her classes.

**Ring Ring**

Chloe's eyes snapped open, and was shocked to see sunlight streaming through the dorm window. Her room mate was nowhere to be seen. Glancing at the clock, she was slightly shocked to see that it was 9am – she must have fallen asleep while reading. Grabbing her cell phone, Chloe attempted to clear her throat, and answered the call. It was her doctor's office.

"Yes…yes….no. So what does that mean?...when do you recommend?...okay, thanks. Goodbye."

Slowly putting her phone down on the bed, Chloe stared into nothingness, shock written across her face.  
Her doctor, after analysing the results of a few tests she did last week after her throat had been hurting for a while, just called to tell her she had vocal nodules.

She had nodes.

Every singer's worst nightmare.

If she got them removed, it could risk her chances of being able to sing, or impact on her range – a range that she was quite proud of, and felt she enhanced the quality of the Bella's. However, if she chose not to operate, she risked it getting worse, and destroying her voice all together.

What a choice she had to make.

 _It's not like it's going to change in the next 24 hours, so I'll worry about it tomorrow,_ Chloe reasoned to herself, as she glanced at the time. Right now, she needed to get her ass in the shower, as she needed to get ready for the fall mixer the Bella's were singing for that afternoon.  
________________________________________  
Beca felt awkward.

There wasn't really a better way to describe it. She was standing outside of a fraternity, in a pencil skirt and heels, and about to sing to a large group of half tipsy people. Yep, awkward was definitely the right word.

Beca so didn't have a good feeling about this.

And, unfortunately, her bad feeling was right.

They sounded _terrible_.

Even Aubrey agreed, as she led them away after an embarrassing end to their song. She expressed her frustrations to them as a group, and then turned on Chloe.

Chloe's face look troubled. "I have nodes," she announced suddenly, turning to face the group. Aubrey murmured shock and disappointment, and took her hands.

"I found out this morning," Chloe told her softly, and Beca had to strain to hear.

"What are nodes?" she asked. Judging by Aubrey's reaction and Chloe's expression, she could tell it wasn't good, but she still didn't know enough to form her own opinion.

"Vocal nodules," Aubrey replied in a 'duh' voice, distain clearly evident in her voice. "The rubbing together of your vocal chords at above average rates without proper lubrication."

"They sit on your windpipe and crush your dreams," Chloe said softly.

"Isn't that painful?" Beca asked with concern. "Why would you keep performing?"

"Because I love to sing," Chloe replied. She gave Beca a look, who could see the pain expressed in the redhead's eyes.

With that look, Beca understood It clicked. She got the severity of the issue now, especially considering it was Chloe – the girl who thought nothing of barging in on another girl's shower, just to hear her sing. And Chloe appeared to have come to a personal resolve, as she told the group she'd just have to draw back a little.

As the group began to continue on, Beca caught up to Chloe. Fortunately for her, Aubrey was up ahead a little bit – she knew the older blonde wasn't a huge fan of hers, and didn't feel the need to spend extra time with her than necessary.

"Hey," she said softly, and Chloe gave her a smile.

"Hey," she replied.

"So, it sucks about your nodes," Beca told her sincerely. "Singing's not necessarily my thing to live for, but I know it is for you, so I can imagine how much this would be killing you. I mean, if I found out I had to get an operation on my hearing and it could stop me from listening to music ever again, I don't know what I'd do."

"You get it," Chloe said, offering a warm smile. "I know it's my heath, but it's my music, you know?"

Beca nodded. She understood.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Time began to go faster, now that Beca was settling into being at Barden.

She had yet to get a chance to play music at the radio station gig, but she found a few opportunities to hang out with the other freshman who was interning there, Jesse. He was pretty funny, although slightly too obsessed with movies for Beca's liking, but she thought he was going to become a pretty good friend. Aside from an awkward moment of him moving in for a kiss while they watched a movie in her room, and she was saved by Kimmy Jin (who knew she'd actually be _grateful_ for her room mate's timing?), she was enjoying hanging out with him.

And the Bella's were improving too. Slowly, but surely, and then came the riff off, where they got to test out their skills.

The riff off rocked.

The Bella's rocked it.

It was just a shame that the Bella's didn't actually win.

Beca couldn't believe it. They lost on a technicality. Like come on, who cared if she sang it's instead of it?  
And, of course, it was too much to hope for to have Aubrey at least say they had done well. Instead, she told them all that they needed to write a list of what they had done wrong. Was she _serious?_

The group began to slowly disperse, chattering to each other about the riff off. As Beca turned to go, she caught sight of Chloe speaking hurriedly to Aubrey, then coming towards her.

"Hey!" Chloe said brightly, as she threaded her arm through Beca's. "Where are you headed?"

"Uh, well apparently I need to go and write a list of how we screwed up tonight, so, uh…" Beca replied.  
Chloe chuckled. "Oh, don't worry about it. Trust me, Aubrey will forget about it by the next rehearsal, considering we're still working on getting the moves down."

"Thanks for the tip." Beca shot a quick look at Chloe, and then back at the ground.

"So, you're also a Dr. Dre fan, it seems," Chloe commented.

Beca pulled up short, causing Chloe to jerk to a stop. The redhead looked at her, a sparkle in her eye. "Well, he does have a mellow accent, after all," Beca said. "You like Dr. Dre?"

Chloe grinned at the brunette. "You know, I have better musical tastes than you think I do. Just because the Bella's musical set is a little outdated, doesn't mean that my tastes are. In fact, I'm a little hurt that you don't give me more credit." She puffed her bottom lip out in mock hurt, but followed it with a wink.

"Right. Well maybe, you might burn me a CD or something sometime, so I can get to know your tastes better?" Beca raised her eyebrows suggestively.

Chloe grinned at Beca's suggestion. "Only if you do the same for me? That way, if we ended up at another riff off and you start shooting off a rap or something, I won't be so shocked that I forget to help you out until Stacie has to nudge me."

A laugh bubbled out of Beca's mouth, causing Chloe to grin. "Alright, you have officially impressed me."

"Good, that was easier than I thought. I would have tried a lot harder for you, Beca," Chloe said, her tone serious but the smile on her face keeping the mood light.

Unsure of how to respond, Beca simply shot Chloe a smile, and continued to walk with her to their dorm building.

Chloe kept true to her promise, and provided Beca with a CD of her top thirty favourite songs – "although you'll have to keep in mind, my favourite songs are ever changing, so the list will probably be completely different next week," she added with a wink.

________________________________________

Beca listened to it the following night after a particularly arduous Bella's rehearsal, and had to admit that she was impressed with Chloe's song selection. There was a decent mixture of genres, mostly new songs, with a couple older ones and one or two Disney songs thrown into the mix ( _gotta remember to judge her for that later,_ Beca thought with a smirk).

And, she was even surprised to find, some of the songs on Chloe's CD, if not most of them, would most likely be also found on her own favourite playlist. Chloe had good taste.  
Rather than simply making up a CD of her own favourite songs, Beca decided to make her playlist into a long mashup of all of them combined. Knowing that Chloe was going to be listening to it, she felt motivated to ensure it was as good as it could possibly be, so therefore spent hours labouring over it.

This was much more time consuming than she originally planned, as she did not take into consideration exactly how much time Bella's rehearsals were going to take.

"Come on, everyone, get it together, it needs to be perfect!" Aubrey cried to the group, after two long hours of rehearsal. "One more run through. Places!"

A few sighs were heard throughout the women, but they obeyed Aubrey's command and moved into their positions. At the sound of the pitch pipe and Aubrey's count, they got into it.

The run through went well until Chloe's voice broke at the end.

"Chloe, you need to hit that note at the end, okay?" Aubrey told her.

Chloe sighed. "I can't. It's because of my…nodes." Most of the girls chimed in the final word with her.

"Well then we'll have to find someone else for your solo," Aubrey replied, pressing her lips together.

Chloe seized the opportunity, and suggested Beca to take the solo. However, Aubrey wouldn't hear of it, especially when Beca asked to pick a new song for it.

As the girls left the rehearsal, Chloe pulled Beca aside.

"I'm sorry, Beca. She just won't listen. I don't want to push her too hard, she's under a lot of pressure from her father, and winning Nationals pretty much means everything to her," Chloe explained.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm glad that Amy is so happy about having a solo, she'll do great," Beca replied easily. "I appreciate you trying for me." She purposely didn't comment about Aubrey, knowing that anything coming out of her mouth regarding the blonde wouldn't be nice, and she didn't want to upset Chloe.

Chloe smiled and bumped her shoulder into Beca's. "Oh, so what did you think of my CD?"

Beca hesitated slightly. "Well…aside from the two Disney songs on there-" at this, Chloe gave a mock pout, "-I thought it was pretty awesome. You've got great taste in music."  
Chloe beamed. "I knew you'd like it. Great minds think alike, and all that. So, when am I going to get to hear some of your music choices?"

"Soon, I promise. I've been working on a CD for you, it's just not ready yet," Beca told her. Over Chloe's shoulder, she noticed Aubrey glaring at them, her arms crossed. "Uh, looks like Aubrey's in need of some attention. I gotta get going anyway, I have a shift at the station. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. See you tomorrow," Chloe responded. She shot the brunette a wink, and then turned to head over to Aubrey.

"What is going on between you and Beca?" Aubrey demanded, turning her glare on Chloe.

The redhead took a step back. "Um, we're friends? I'm not really sure what you mean, Bree."

"If I didn't know better, I'd swear that you both had huge toner for each other," Aubrey replied, tossing her hair back. "Although I can totally tell that Beca's got it for Jesse. Did you see them at the riff off? They were practically having eye sex."

Chloe felt her stomach drop slightly. Yeah, she had seen Beca and Jesse looking at each other a few times, but she had interpreted it to be in more of a friendly way. Aubrey was just exaggerating. Or was she? Chloe shook her head to try to clear it. What did it matter to her anyway?

"Alright, we have Regionals in a week. Make sure you're practicing your scales, okay?"

Chloe nodded, lost in thought.

________________________________________

Beca stood at the back of the hall, the other Bella's around her, as she watched the Socapellas perform. Sure, they weren't quite 'traditional', but they were different – something that Beca thought was a definite bonus for them. She wondered if the Bella's were good enough to beat them, with their outdated music.

Chloe stepped forward into the space next to Beca, brushing her arm against the brunette's. "Nervous?" she whispered.

"Uh, not really," Beca replied in an equally soft voice. She glanced over, and saw a confident smile on Chloe's face. She tried to match it, and took a slow breath as they were called onto stage.

Here goes nothing.  
________________________________________

They placed second, and were making it through to the semi-finals! Chloe was thrilled.

She got somewhat nervous halfway through, as she was keeping an eye on the judges while she was singing, and caught a couple of yawns. That was not good. However, Amy started rocking it out on stage, and really got into her solo. _That definitely helped our placing,_ Chloe thought to herself, and began to understand Beca's reasoning for wanting a new set more than ever.

She decided to tell Beca so, however she didn't get a chance. As the Bella's exited the hall into the lobby area, they caught sight of the Treblemakers, having a confrontation with an older group of retired acapella singers.

"I'm just gonna go…" Beca said, moving down the stairs to break up the fight.

Amy's face lit up, and shouted "the Kracken has been unleashed!" as she followed Beca.

Chloe could hardly watch. She was so not a fighter, although she did respect Beca for wanting to help a friend. She watched, biting her lip, and then flinched as she heard the crack of Beca's fist connecting with the man's cheek.

It went even crazier, and the next thing she realised, there was glass everywhere and people were fleeing.

"Oh my god," Chloe gasped, clutching at the collar of her own shirt as she watched Amy running down the corridor, leaving Beca standing frozen, alone, in front of the shattered glass.

Chloe made a move to hurry down the staircase to get to Beca, but Aubrey pulled on her arm. "Chloe, you don't want to get involved, okay?" she said sharply.

Chloe turned to face Aubrey. "Actually, I do." She tugged herself out of Aubrey's grip, and took the stairs as fast as her heels would allow. By the time she reached Beca, the security guard was already on the phone to the cops.

"Look, it's a misunderstanding. I was trying to break up a fight, not create vandalism!" Beca explained to the security guard.

"It's true!" Chloe exclaimed, wrapping an arm around Beca's shoulders. The brunette turned her head to her, a grateful expression on her face.

"Whatever. Tell it to the cops when they get here," the guard replied. He crossed his arms menacingly, and frowned.

Beca glanced around. Most of the crowd had taken off when the glass shattered, leaving a few observers, and the Bella's still grouped together on the staircase. She sighed, wondering how she got herself into this mess.

"Don't worry, it'll be okay," Chloe whispered reassuringly in her ear. She brought her free hand across to lace her fingers in Beca's. "I'll stay here with you."

"It's alright, I don't want you getting dragged down in any of this mess," Beca told her. "I'll probably just have to make a statement or something."

Jesse, who had been hanging back with a couple of the Trebles who didn't run off, took this chance to step forward. He glanced briefly at Chloe's hand in Beca's, and frowned at the redhead.

Before he got a chance to say anything, two police officers stepped through the glass doors. A hush fell across the room as they surveyed the scene, and zeroed in on Beca, Chloe and the security guard.

"She threw a trophy through the window," the security guard informed the police. Stepping away, the three men had a brief conversation, while managing to keep their eyes on Beca. She squeezed Chloe's hand a little tighter.

"Alright, ma'am, you're going to have to come down to the station with us," the burlier of the two cops said, glaring at her. "We don't take vandalism lightly here."

"But it was an accident! I didn't break it. I was breaking up a fight," Beca spluttered.

The officer held his hand up to stop the flow of voices coming from Chloe and the rest of the Bella's, while the other officer pulled out handcuffs.

"Oh my god," Chloe moaned softly. "You're not arresting her, are you? She didn't do anything!"

"Ma'am, I'm going to ask you to step away, or we'll be taking you too," the officer said to her sternly.

Chloe made to argue, but stopped at the sharp look Beca gave her. "Chloe, it's not worth it. Please, for me?"

Chloe sighed, but gave into the pleading look that Beca was giving her. With her arm still around Beca's shoulder, she gave her a quick, one armed hug, and then stepped back reluctantly. The officer holding the handcuffs moved into her space, and attached the silver rings to Beca's wrists.

Within a minute, Beca had been led away by the two police officers. The Bella's came rushing down to crowd around Chloe, all of them babbling about the events of the evening and expressing their concern for Beca. Aubrey stepped close to Chloe and placed a hand on her elbow.

"I'll go to the station and bail her out," Chloe told her, looking at her friend with worried eyes.

"Actually, no. I've already called her dad, he's going to get her," Jesse spoke up. He glanced briefly at the redhead, and then looked away. "I'm going down there now. She won't want many people there. I'll be fine with her dad. Just go home, okay? I think you all have done enough."

Chloe's mouth dropped open in shock, watching Jesse walk away. She turned to Aubrey, shaking her head. "Beca's not going to be happy about that. Her dad will be pissed. And I don't know why Jesse was acting all weird to me, I've hardly met him. But I still want to go down to the station to get Beca."

Aubrey sighed, running a hand through her hair. This evening was just too much.

"You know what, how about we all go to Beca's room? We can wait for her there?" Stacie spoke up. The rest of the Bella's all joined in with their approval of the idea.

"Hey, guys? What's going on, where's Beca?"

Amy had returned. She was walking sheepishly back down the corridor towards them, a guilty expression on her face. "I didn't mean to run off, I just panicked. I didn't realise a broken window was scarier than a kangaroo after he's eaten fermented mushrooms."

"Come on, we'll fill you in on the way," Aubrey finally said, looping her arm through Chloe's elbow. As a group, they headed out to the parking lot.

**TBC...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Well, if the night couldn't have gotten any worse, it somehow did. Jesse had called her dad. Her _dad_ , of all people. She couldn't understand why he felt he had the right to do that, especially considering Chloe was there and willing to help her out. What happened to Chloe, anyway?

Not to mention, she was feeling pretty pissed at her father. All those years of being absent from her life, and now he chose to become a parent? Really?

To say that the ride back to Barden with her father was a frosty one, would be putting it lightly. Beca had never been so relieved to get out of her father's car, and she practically ran into the dorm building. She slowed her pace down as she arrived in her hallway, and let herself into her room.

She was met with a resounding chorus of welcomes.

The Bella's were all there, spread over her bed and floor, with Aubrey sitting at her desk. She gave a mock curtsey, while they all showered her with greetings.  
"What up, Shawshank?"

"Did you get yourself a bitch?"

"Did they spray you with a hose?"

Of course, those questions would come from Amy and Cynthia Rose. Who else.

"You guys waited up for me?" Beca asked as she dropped her bag on the floor.

"Of course we waited up for you!" Chloe replied, readjusting herself on the bed. She gazed up at Beca, hoping to express her apologies for not having been there at the station.

Kimmy Jin stood up from her desk and glared. "They've been here for hours, Beca. It's been a real inconvenience." With that, the Asian woman turned and exited the room without sparing anyone another glance. Beca just sighed softly.

"Beca, I'm really glad you're here," Aubrey said, to Beca's surprise. "I think we should hold an emergency Bella's meeting." Oh wait, that sounded more normal.

Amy started to protest, but quickly gave up as Aubrey pressed on. She was on a mission, and didn't hesitate to shoot Beca down when she attempted to show Aubrey her mixes. Even Chloe tried to speak up for Beca, but Aubrey didn't give her a chance, dismissing the group. Chloe sighed in frustration, and turned to shoot Beca an apologetic smile.

"Chloe, are you coming?" Aubrey asked impatiently, pausing at the door and glancing over her shoulder to the redhead.

"Um, actually, I'm going to talk to Beca for a bit. But I'll see you in the morning?" Chloe said, slightly nervous of how her friend would react to that.

Aubrey let out an audible sigh, narrowing her eyes. "Whatever." She left, pulling the door shut behind her a little louder than necessary.  
Chloe glanced at Beca, giving her a soft smile. "How's the hand?"

Beca glanced down at her hand, where it was already bruising lightly from when she punched the guy who was getting into Jesse. Now that she thought about it, her hand was really starting to hurt.

Her facial expression must have given it away, because Chloe moved over to her bag that was dumped by the bed, and pulled something out. "Here," she said, offering it to Beca. 

"Instant ice pack. I made sure to pick one up on the way here; I figured you'd probably need it."

"Thanks," Beca replied. "That was really thoughtful of you."

"Well, you were pretty brave, looking out for your, um, friend?" Chloe said, her voice going a little higher at the end, unsure.

"Just friend," she said. She cracked the ice pack, shook it until it froze, and placed it on her hand. She turned to face Chloe, who was standing awkwardly next to the bed. "You can sit down, you know," she said with a smile. "My bed won't bite."

Chloe took a seat slowly, and began playing with a ring on her finger. "Come here?" she asked hesitantly. Beca paused, and then got up to join her on the bed. She leaned back against the headboard, studying Chloe.

"So, what happened after they took you away?" Chloe asked.

Beca sighed, and began playing with the frayed edges of her blanket. "Ugh. They had me fill out a million forms, and I had to sit in a holding cell for half an hour, with two strippers and a drug dealer to keep me company. Seriously. But whatever, it was fine. The only annoying part is that Jesse bailed me out, which I appreciated, but he also called my dad. That wasn't cool. My dad and I don't get along well." She glanced over at Chloe, who nodded apologetically. "Did you guys leave straight away and come here?"

"Pretty much. I wanted to come down to the station after you, but Jesse stopped me, and said he'd called your dad, and that he was fine to handle it himself. He seemed a little weird with the idea of me going, and I really didn't want to make things harder for you, so I came here with the Bella's instead." Chloe bit her lip. "I'm sorry I didn't come."

"Hey, don't apologize. I'm okay. Although, I want to kill Jesse for calling my dad. I might have yelled at him at the station," Beca admitted. "And I'm actually kind of annoyed now, because he made it out to sound like he was the only one who cared enough to come. I wish you had just come instead of him. It's just so frustrating because he acts like my boyfriend, but he's not, and I don't want him to be. I just wish he'd get the hint that I only like him as a friend."

"He hasn't tried anything, has he?" Chloe asked.

Beca groaned. "Just once. We were hanging out here, and he was making me watch the end of the Breakfast Club, and at the end, he leaned in like he was going to kiss me. But I pulled back, fortunately. He just doesn't seem to be able to take a hint."

"Maybe you should just tell him straight out?"

"Yeah, I guess, although he probably won't be interested in talking to me anytime soon. I will eventually though, since he is a great friend otherwise. And it's not like I have many of them, aside from you," Beca replied.

Chloe beamed at her.

"Anyway, I hope you know I am grateful that you were willing to bail me out," Beca said, meeting Chloe's gaze and giving her a thankful smile.

"What else are friends for?" Chloe asked simply with a shrug. She leaned forward and pulled Beca into a tight hug, who only hesitated slightly before bringing her arms up and returning the hug.

They stayed like that for several moments before breaking apart.

"So, if you're not tired, want to show me some of your music?" Chloe asked hopefully.

Beca grinned. "Sure. I'll get my laptop." She stood, and quickly retrieved her laptop from her desk. She sat back down next to Chloe on the bed, their shoulders brushing together, and set the laptop down in between them across their legs.

"I just like to make music. I match the base beats, and find songs that flow together. Or better yet, I find songs that shouldn't work, and I make them fit," she explained. She moved her hand to the computer's touchpad, and then repositioned the ice pack on it so she could click freely. Chloe watched, fascinated, as Beca brought up the mixing program she used, and showed her how it all worked.

"Beca, this is…it's awesome. Really," Chloe finally said, her mind blown.

Beca grinned. "I never did give you a CD of my songs, did I? I have been working on it, but I wanted to make it as a mash up CD for you. I have it ready for you now, you can take it with you. But there's a song I want you to listen to, it's on there…I kinda made specifically for you."

Chloe's eyebrows shot up, and she turned her head to look at Beca. "You made me a song? Just for me?"

"It's just a song, don't go all fangirl on me, Chloe," Beca said with a light chuckle. She quickly queued a song up on her laptop, and hit play. The first few strains of Titanium began to play, yet mixed with the strong beat of Bulletproof, by La Rioux. The two songs mashed together, sounded awesome.

"You mixed our song!" Chloe squealed happily. "And I love Bulletproof, this is perfect!" She reached out and grabbed Beca's good hand in excitement as she listened intently to the song. They both remained quiet as the music rose and fell, and a warm feeling began to grown in the pit of Chloe's stomach. Not even anyone from her previous relationships had made her a song before.

As the final chords of the song faded, Beca chuckled nervously. "Well, yeah, I know it wasn't totally awesome or anything, but-"

"Hey!" Chloe cut her off. Realizing she was still holding the brunette's hand, she gave it a quick squeeze. "Look at me. It was awesome. And you made it for me. I love it, Beca."

They shared a smile, and held it for a few moments, neither wanting to break the moment. Beca felt her heart rate beginning to pick up slightly. She really wasn't sure what she was feeling at that moment, other than she felt really connected to Chloe right then, there was an electricity in the air, and she wasn't sure what to do, but Chloe was looking at her, and her blue eyes were sparkling, and it-

The dorm room door swung open roughly, and Kimmy Jin stepped into the room. "Oh. You're still here. With company," she said shortly, her tone dripping with distain.

The moment gone, Chloe dropped Beca's hand and flashed Kimmy Jin a wide smile. "Oh, I'm so sorry Kimmy Jin. I don't mean to intrude on your time in your room. I'll just get going back to my dorm, okay?"

Kimmy Jin, apparently unable to be rude to Chloe's bubbly personality, simply turned to her desk and began sorting through her bag.

Chloe slid off the bed, and reached over to pull Beca to her feet. "Thanks for showing me that stuff," she said, motioning to the laptop on the bed. "And really, the song is awesome. I'll see you at rehearsal tomorrow?"

Beca nodded mutely, but managed an awkward smile. "Here," she said, reaching over to the shelf next to her bed and pulling a CD case down. "Here's your CD, as promised. Honestly, most of it is the same as your songs, but a few extras, and it's all mashed."

"Thanks!" Shaking her head, Chloe grinned and pulled the girl into a quick hug. "Goodnight, Beca," she said, and turned to leave the room.

"Goodnight Chloe!" Beca called after her. As the door shut, Beca sank slowly down onto her bed, and closed the lid of her laptop. She drew a slow breath, and shook her head.

What the hell just happened?  
________________________________________

Chloe let the door shut behind her, and then took a moment to lean against the door and draw in a slow breath. What just happened? She felt electric, and her hand was warm from holding Beca's only moments before. At that moment, Chloe realized that the intense feeling of friendship she felt for Beca, was starting to intensify into something more.

And that didn't scare her.

With a smile, Chloe moved down the hallway, the CD clutched tightly in her hand. Even though she had Bella's rehearsal in approximately seven hours, and Aubrey would totally be able to tell if she hadn't gotten enough beauty sleep (as Aubrey so aptly phrased it), all she wanted to do in that moment was load the disc onto her laptop and listen to it.  
Especially Titanium.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

With the thrill of placing second at regionals wearing off, Aubrey doubled her energy at rehearsals. She drilled the girls every day, making them start and end the practices with laps around the auditorium, and even wheeled in a large, portable mirror to ensure each Bella could see their mistakes up close.

Beca, who normally wasn't a huge fan of Christmas, was actually relieved when winter vacation rolled around, meaning that the Bella's would stop rehearsals for the break.

"You're staying at Barden over Christmas though, right?" Chloe asked her as the final rehearsal before the break was ending.

"Yeah. My dad wanted me to come and stay with him and his new wife, but I declined the invitation. I'd rather hang out at Barden," Beca told her. "Besides, ever since my parents split up, I haven't liked Christmas."

"You don't like Christmas?" asked Chloe with a disappointed smile. She felt bad for Beca. Christmas had always been a wonderful time for her growing up, as her parents were big on decorating, and keeping traditions.

"Not really. It just became another holiday where my parents would argue over who I'd stay with, and then they'd make snide comments about the other one the whole time. I did love Christmas though, when I was little," Beca added. "What about you, are you heading home?"

"I'm not, actually. My two brothers can't make it back this Christmas, since one of them works at a hospital and can't get the time off, and the other one is travelling through Europe right now," replied Chloe. "So I told my parents I wanted to spend it at Barden, since it's my last year here, and they're going on a cruise together."

"Why did you want to stay at Barden?" Beca asked her.

"Mostly because I thought it would be nice for my parents to do something nice together, but they wouldn't have if I was going to be there," Chloe replied simply. "Besides, it wouldn't be the same without my brothers there. But, it's all worked out, because I have an awesome idea."

Beca raised an eyebrow. "What is this awesome idea?"

"We're going to spend Christmas together!" Chloe declared.

She could see Beca's hesitation, and pressed on. "Trust me; we'll have a great time. We can listen to Christmas music, and watch a Christmas movie and drink eggnog and just hang out. I'll make you enjoy Christmas, okay?"

Beca hesitated slightly, but had to admit, it sounded like it could be kind of fun. "Okay, you've got a deal. And Kimmy Jin is leaving tomorrow to go home, so we can hang out in peace in my room."

"Perfect!" Chloe said happily, clapping her hands together. "Oh, we can put up a tree!"

Beca wondered what she had just gotten herself into.

________________________________________

"Here, Beca, have some hot chocolate?"

Chloe held out a mug of hot liquid towards Beca, who smiled in gratitude and accepted the mug.

The brunette, while somewhat grudgingly at first, soon got into the spirit of the season. _It's hard not to,_ she reasoned to herself, _when Chloe's enthusiasm and cheer is so overwhelming._

It was now Christmas Eve, and the two women had spent the day putting up a small Christmas tree in Beca's dorm room. They had decided to make it musically themed, and spent an hour making various decorations out of old CD's, sheet music, and guitar strings. Even Beca had to admit, the tree looked awesome.

They were now spending the evening just hanging out and enjoying each other's company, both feeling at ease without needing to make conversation or anything. Chloe was working on a paper that was due after the Christmas break was over, while Beca sat at her computer absorbed in making a new mix.

Chloe placed her own hot chocolate carefully on Beca's nightstand, and stretched out on the bed in front of her laptop. She started typing her paper, however was soon interrupted by the buzzing of her cell phone. It was Aubrey.

_Hey Chlo, hope you're having a great Christmas eve! What are you getting up to?_

_Just hanging with Beca, since she's at Barden still too. Working on my paper too. How's the fam?_ Chloe texted back.

_You're hanging with Beca, really? Ugh. The fam are okay, mom sends her love to you. Dad's trying to talk me into grad school again._

Chloe emitted a soft sigh. _I just wish you and Beca would take some time to get to know each other. She's not you, but she's still an important friend to me, Aubs, okay?_

The phone stayed silent after Chloe hit send, so she turned back to her laptop. A couple minutes went by before a new text came in.

_Sorry Chloe. I'll stop. I do hope you have a good Christmas, okay?_

_Thanks Tell your parents I said hi, and give your little brother a hug for me. I miss you!_

Chloe tossed her phone down onto the bed with a small smile. Yeah, she and Aubrey didn't have the easiest of friendships, and there were times that Aubrey could really hurt her feelings. But at the end of the day, they were best friends; they were there for each other. Aubrey was her person.

Chloe focused back on her paper for a few more minutes, but her attention kept wandering. Realizing that any concentration on Christmas Eve was futile, she closed the lid of her laptop and reached for her hot chocolate, which had cooled down to perfect drinking temperature. She watched Beca work as she sipped, noticing immediately how comfortable and at ease Beca looked, sitting at her desk with her headphones on and fingers moving swiftly from the mouse to various controls on the mixing equipment. She noticed when Beca was concentrating, her eyes would narrow, and she'd absently bite her bottom lip, or maybe crinkle her nose. Or occasionally, Beca would bring a hand up and run it through her hair. She was so pretty, and she didn't even realize it. Even the piercings dotting her ears, and the thick black wristlets added to her attractiveness, they were just so Beca, and Chloe found it so enchanting and -

"What?" Beca asked, and Chloe blinked. She'd completely started daydreaming.

"Uh, nothing, just lost in thought," she replied with a light smile.

"You were staring at me, I could feel a hole burning," Beca told her. She placed the headphones down onto the desk. "Are you bored?"

"A little, I can't focus on my paper. Are you at a stopping point?"

"I can be."

"Want to watch a movie with me? Miracle on 34th Street. I've watched it every Christmas since I can remember, it's a personal tradition of mine." Chloe paused, biting her lip. "But I know you don't like movies, and that's cool. I can watch it alone. I just-"

"Okay!" Beca interrupted, rolling her eyes but the smile on her face showed she was kidding around. "I don't want to be holding you up from fulfilling your traditions, and you'd look pretty lame watching it alone, so I guess I can watch it with you. I can't promise you I'll like it, but I'll watch it."

Chloe clapped her hands in excitement, and opened her laptop up again so she could find the movie that she had stored on the hard drive the first Christmas after getting the laptop.

Beca couldn't help but notice how happy Chloe was, more than just her average exuberant self. Her face simply glowed, and Beca wasn't sure if it was because of the Christmas mood in the air, or the fact that Chloe was not thinking about the pressure from the Bella's and her nodes at that moment, but whatever it was, she liked seeing the redhead like this. She liked seeing Chloe's smile light up her face, and have that warmth pass over to herself. When, Beca wondered to herself, _did I ever have someone in my life who just made me feel lighter?_ There wasn't anyone though, and that's what made Beca draw to Chloe more, despite their differences, like how Beca felt more comfortable away from people with the comfort of her music and mixing equipment, whereas Chloe thrived at social events and getting to know others.

"Okay, now you're the one staring," Chloe said, and Beca shook her head lightly.

"Just lost in thought," she replied, echoing Chloe's previous statement. She shot the redhead a smile, and moved over to the bed.

Chloe propped the computer up on a couple of pillows at the foot of the bed, and angled the screen so that she and Beca could see easily while resting against the bed's headboard and stretching their legs out on the bed. Chloe, in an attempt to get comfortable, wriggled around for a moment before picking up Beca's arm and draping it over her shoulders. Chloe smiled to herself as she heard Beca's breath hitch and her arm tense for a moment, before resuming even breaths, and relaxing the tension in her arms. She congratulated herself on another successful attempt at getting through Beca's walls, and turned her attention to the movie.

Beca had to admit she felt comfortable with Chloe pressed up against her. Not something she was used to, and she did feel uncomfortable at first, but then again, it was Chloe. The woman had a way of getting into Beca's head, and getting her to do things that were outside of her comfort level. Knowing Chloe, it would be pointless to argue, so Beca figured she might as well enjoy it.

To Beca's surprise, she was actually enjoying the movie. Yeah, it was kinda predictable, but it was a cute movie, and she enjoyed watching Chloe watch the movie. It was clear that the redhead loved it.

As the credits rolled, Beca tried to stop a giant yawn from escaping.

"Tired?" Chloe asked, a slight giggle bubbling out. At Beca's nod, Chloe pulled away, and kneeled over the foot of the bed to shut down the laptop.

"You can probably crash in Kimmy Jin's bed, she won't notice," Beca said tiredly. She pulled the cover over herself, and watched as Chloe got off the bed to sit the laptop on the desk.

Chloe shook her head with a grin. "Thanks, but I'm good."

To Beca's surprise, Chloe came back to the head of the bed, and slipped under the sheet next to Beca. "Good night, Beca," she said reaching over to give the brunette a one armed hug.

Beca, feeling incredibly awkward, watched as the redhead snuggled under the covers and close her eyes. There was space between them, so it wasn't like they were cuddling or anything, but Beca hadn't exactly shared a bed with anyone before to just sleep, and she wasn't quite sure what to do. It was clear from Chloe's body language that she was used to sharing a bed with friends.

"Uh, good night Chloe," she finally got out, and rolled to the side, away from Chloe. She closed her eyes, and tried to focus on anything but the heat of the warm body next to her.

________________________________________

"Beca, wake up! It's Christmas Day!" a cheery voice called up, pulling Beca out of her dreams.

She blearily opened her eyes, to see Chloe wide awake and dressed in black tights, a green sweater dress, and tinsel hair clips.

"Someone's excited today," Beca said, tossing the covers off and swinging her legs to the side.

"Of course, it's Christmas," Chloe replied simply. "Hurry up and get dressed? Then we can go for a walk and get coffee?"

Beca compiled, and even put on a long red top and matched it with a gold scarf and green jacket, at Chloe's insistence ("C'mon, Beca, wear something at least a little Christmas-y, for me?"). They made their way outside, Chloe easily looping her arm through Beca's, as they leisurely strolled towards the campus cafeteria.

The two women had an enjoyable morning. After getting coffee from the automated machine at the cafeteria, they continued to wander aimlessly around campus as they sipped their coffees and talked about music, the Bella's, their families – everything. When the cold air became too much, they retreated back to Beca's dorm, where Chloe pulled out a gift from her bag and presented it to Beca.

"Oh, you didn't have to get me a gift, Chloe, thanks," Beca said sincerely. She tugged off the ribbon, and pulled the paper away to reveal an elegant, flat box. She curiously lifted the lid, to find a gorgeous leather journal nestled on a bed of tissue paper. Hanging out of the journal was a leather bookmark with a treble clef charm on the end.

"Chloe, it's gorgeous!" Beca exclaimed softly as she lifted the journal out. Chloe beamed at the positive response.

"I hoped you might like it," she replied. "I know I didn't have to get you a gift, we never talked about giving gifts, but I just wanted to."

Beca grinned, and reached over to pull a small, silver wrapped box from her desk drawer. "Good thing we think alike then, isn't it?" she asked as she handed the small gift over to the redhead.

Chloe opened the box to find a delicate chain, adorned with a little treble clef charm. "Oh, Beca…" Chloe was speechless, as she pulled out the necklace and admired the charm as it sparkled in the light. She held it out to Beca. "Put it on me?"

Beca accepted the necklace, and brought her hands up around Chloe's neck to affix the clasp. Chloe sat patiently, a hand holding her hair out of the way, and beamed when the necklace was safely clasped around her neck. She loved it.

"I love it, thank you really do think alike, getting the same musical note and all," she commented, lightly fingering the treble clef charm.

Beca smiled. "True. So, what's next on your Christmas Day agenda?"  
"Cookies!" Chloe declared with a smile. She reached over for a shopping bag that she had earlier placed by the bed that Beca had paid no attention to, and reached in to bring out a bag of flour. "Christmas cookies, to be exact. I even have themed cookie cutters. Come on, we'll use the shared dorm kitchen. And, I might also have some eggnog and rum, because what's Christmas without getting a little tipsy and crying over cookies?"

Beca could only raise her eyebrows as the exuberant redhead bounced out of the room, before sighing softly and dutifully following behind, albeit somewhat less energetic. _Only Chloe could get me baking cookies,_ she mused to herself.

**TBC...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

After Christmas day, the rest of the break seemed to fly by. The two women soon settled into a routine, where Chloe would go for a morning run, and return with coffee and muffins. After eating breakfast together, they would make plans for the day – one day was spent studying in the library (more so for Chloe; Beca was more occupied on the beats in her headphones that she was mixing at a desk across from Chloe), another day was spent at the local ice skating rink (which Chloe nearly had to drag Beca to, after which Beca admitted she had a great time).

Chloe also learned that, while not a fan of movies, Beca had a secret obsession with Greys Anatomy. They spent every evening holed up in Beca's bed with popcorn, tequila, and multiple seasons of Grey's Anatomy on DVD.

Beca learned that Chloe had trouble when it came to staying quiet during the show. She often interrupted to share an opinion or thought, but Beca found she didn't mind it. In fact, she shared just as much, and when the conversation turned to other topics during the week, she didn't hold back like she normally would. She opened up, and Chloe responded just as much, if not more.

All in all, Beca had to admit that she really enjoyed spending the week with Chloe. Despite not being one for having 'best friends', or even many girls who were close friends, she had really gotten to know Chloe, and care for her. It was definitely making her experience at Barden a lot more enjoyable.

Chloe was also feeling quite similar. She had come to really appreciate and respect the brunette, and was really disappointed at the end of the Christmas vacation and she had to move back into her own dorm room. She was also becoming more aware that some of the feelings she had towards Beca were developing into something more than just a platonic friendship, but this was something she tried to brush off. She wasn't going to lose this friendship on a chance.  
________________________________________

After vacation, Aubrey wasted no time in scheduling Bella's rehearsals. She kept the girls working to the grind, insisting that they had to be perfect for semi-finals.

"The semi's will be on us before we realise, so we have to be perfect, you understand!" she yelled at the group at the end of a particularly harrowing rehearsal.

And, although no one wanted to admit that Aubrey was right, she was correct in one sense. The few weeks they had flew past, and the next thing Chloe realised, she was getting on a bus to go to semi's.

The bus ride was so quiet. Too quiet. Chloe didn't deal well with silence, so she turned to her saviour – music.

She hit shuffle on her music player, and allowed herself to zone out to her music.

Zone out, that is, until Miley Cyrus started playing.

Chloe had a firm belief that you couldn't really zone out to Miley Cyrus, and especially not a song like Party In The USA. It was too upbeat and fun and addictive to listen to while dozing; it deserved to be enjoyed and sung in the shower, and played in a car while on a long road trip, and blasted in a dorm room at 1am on a Saturday night.

So Chloe did the only logical thing. She started to sing along.

Softly at first, through the first line, and then she heard Cynthia Rose chime in.

Before she knew it, the whole bus was rocking out to the song – almost.

Beca sat in her seat, staring straight ahead, but Chloe could see the corners of her mouth tugging upwards ever so slightly. Chloe leaned towards her, singing right at her, and she felt Stacie standing behind her and leaning towards the silent Bella also.

Beca glanced back, caught Chloe's gaze, and burst out laughing. The whole group paused at the end of the verse, waiting, and Beca grinned. Surely one song wouldn't hurt her street cred.

"So I put my hands up!" she sang out, closing her eyes and letting the energy of the group envelop her.

Chloe flashed a huge smile at her friend before getting back into the groove of the song. This was what the Bella's needed. To let loose, have fun, and just listen to how awesome they could sound.

________________________________________

Somehow, the Bella's managed to survive the dramas of Amy getting hit by a flying burrito, running out of gas, and needing to hitch a ride with the Treblemakers – who were also booked into the same hotel for the night to crash after the semi-finals.

Chloe sat beside Beca in the bus, and subtly slipped her hand in the brunettes. Beca didn't pull away, and Chloe was immensely grateful for this. She really needed Beca right then, because all she could think of was how right she thought Beca was, and how frustrating it was that Aubrey wouldn't listen to her input for the Bella's. And, simply put, she was just incredibly nervous.

Beca seemed to sense what she was feeling, because Chloe felt her hand be squeezed softly.

As the bus arrived outside the building that the performances were being held, Aubrey released an audible sigh. She pushed her way to the front to be the first one off the bus, leaving Beca free to send an eye roll and a shrug towards Chloe.

Chloe reluctantly let go of Beca's hand, and they filed off the bus.

This was it.

Chloe felt butterflies in her stomach all the way through walking inside, and standing in a group back stage. They intensified as the Bella's watched another group perform, because that group was amazing, and Chloe did not like their chances at all. But, come hell or high water, she was going to sing her best, and hoped that every other Bella was thinking the same thing.  
________________________________________

It turned out that yes, Chloe was right; ever other Bella was thinking the same thing. They sang their best. The only issue with that, was it wasn't enough to keep the audience interested, and Chloe could tell immediately, just a couple bars into her solo, that they weren't going to win.

And then Beca broke out with Bulletproof.

And it sounded _amazing_.

Chloe shot a brief glance at Beca, but wasn't sure if the brunette caught her smile. She turned back to the audience, and noticed straight away the smiles and nodding heads that looked up at them. Right then, Chloe knew that Beca was what the Bella's needed to take the next step.

There was only one problem with that.

Aubrey.  
________________________________________

Chloe had barely gotten off the stage before Aubrey came storming past and began verbally tearing into Beca. This killed Chloe, because Aubrey and Beca were probably the two most important people in Chloe's life, and it felt a little like Chloe was going to have to choose her future, right then and there.

And it seemed like the moment was there, when Aubrey forced Beca to find out what the rest of the Bella's thought.

Chloe knew what she had to do. She had to stand up to Aubrey, because she believed in her heart that Beca was doing the right thing; she was trying to move the Bella's forward – that's what they needed. She glanced upwards, drawing in a deep breath, and –

"Amy?" Beca asked.

She missed her chance. But Aubrey was still berating Beca, and she tried to get Aubrey to stop – not that it worked.

"Don't worry, it's not like you need to pretend you're allowed to have a say in the group, right?" Beca said harshly to her.

Beca immediately regretted the words as soon as they passed her lips, and wished she could take them back. But it was too late, she saw the hurt flash across Chloe's face.

And of course, Jesse chose that moment to show up and make things worse. Seriously?

Beca sighed, and felt herself deflating. She couldn't deal with this anymore. "If this is what I get for trying," she said, shrugging, before turning away. She could hear Benji calling after her, but she ignored him and kept going, intent on finding an exit so she could get some fresh air and breathe for a moment.

"Aubrey, that actually went really well-" Chloe started, but was cut off by the blonde.

"Chloe, don't!" Aubrey stormed off angrily.

"Oh my gosh," Chloe said to herself, feeling incredibly overwhelmed as the Trebles brushed past her, not being particularly careful.

There was only one person she could think of at that moment. Beca. She had to speak to her, so Chloe took off in the direction she saw Beca leave in, as fast as her heels would allow. Reaching the start of the hallway, she saw Benji calling out to the brunette, who was ignoring him.

"Beca, wait!" Chloe shouted.

Against her better judgement, Beca stopped, but didn't turn around. She sighed, hating herself in that moment for treating Chloe so horribly. Chloe hurried down the hallway, shooting Benji an apologetic smile but slowing only when she reached Beca. Looking into the brunette's eyes, she saw sadness, defeat, guilt, and disappointment.

Chloe prayed the disappointment wasn't because of her, although she probably deserved it for not standing up to Aubrey.

"Beca…" Chloe began, running a hand anxiously through her hair. "I…no. Let's go and get coffee, and sit down somewhere, because I need to say some things to you, and I want us to do this properly, because I don't want to lose you."

Beca was surprised, and reached out to touch Chloe on the shoulder. "Chloe. You won't lose me. I was a bitch just then, and I fucked up our group. You should hate me right now. I'm the one who lost you. And god, I am so sorry." She bit her lip, wishing she could take back her earlier sentence.

Chloe sighed in relief, and pulled Beca into a hug. "You haven't lost me, I promise. Come on, we really need to talk. Coffee?"

"Coffee," agreed Beca.

They walked out into the crisp, cool air, and immediately spotted an all night café across the road. Quickly, they made their way over, chose a booth in the corner, and ordered coffees from the bored, bubblegum-snapping waitress.

Before either of them could talk, Beca's phone buzzed. She glanced down at the text, and sighed. She passed it over to Chloe to read.

_Hey B. Sorry this shit is going down, I thought you were good. I saw Chloe following you, hope she caught you. Results were just announced; we placed third so we're out of nationals. CR._

Chloe gave a barely audible sigh, and a resigned smile, before handing the phone back to Beca. The brunette immediately stashed it in her pocket, and brought her hands to the table to play with a sugar packet.

"Can I start?" Beca asked hesitantly. Chloe nodded, smiling at her reassuringly. "Okay. I want to start by apologizing for what I said to you back there. That was so uncalled for."

Chloe shrugged. "It's completely true though. I don't get a say. Aubrey says we're partners in this, yet completely steamrolls me for every decision. And I take it, because she's my person, and the Bella's are her whole life. But when she told you to ask the rest of us what we thought of your Bulletproof addition, I wished you asked me."

"You looked away though," Beca stated. "And I wouldn't have, anyway. Aubrey's your best friend. I wasn't going to put you in a position to have to choose, I couldn't do that to you."

"Beca," Chloe said gently, reaching out to brush her fingers against Beca's hand, resting on the table. "I looked away, but it wasn't because I was avoiding you asking me. I was taking in a breath, because I was gathering the courage to tell Aubrey how wrong she was. Properly tell her, not like my useless attempts at rehearsals. Seriously. I mean, how could she not have seen the yawns in the audience?"

"Exactly! I didn't do it to screw up the Bella's, I swear. I know I haven't always been the best part of the group, but I am honestly trying here," Beca told her.

"I know. And yeah, it caught me by surprise, but it's not like you could have warned us mid-song. I think you made the right move," replied Chloe. "Everyone perked up when you started singing. You were amazing."

Beca smiled faintly. "Well, I guess you're the only one who thought so. But honestly, I can admit it was a dick move on my part to spring it on everyone, and I feel the worst for you."

"For me?" Chloe asked, surprised.

Beca nodded. "Yeah. The Bella's might be Aubrey's whole life, but I also know how important it is to you. I wanted us to win for you, Chloe, I like because you light up when you're singing, and I know how much you wanted to go to finals."

"Beca," Chloe said softly. "That is one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me."

Beca groaned lightly, blushing. "Please don't go getting all girly on me. I'll be honest, I am new to the whole express your feelings things. I just, I want you to feel appreciated. Because I do appreciate you."

Chloe beamed, but tried somewhat unsuccessfully to settle it down to a small smile. "Thanks."

"And, Chloe, I want you to know I am really sorry for what I said before. I was frustrated by Aubrey, and I took it out on you, and that's not okay. I hate that I hurt your feelings, and I promise I will try to never let that happen again," Beca told her sincerely.

Chloe couldn't help but smile at the worried expression on Beca's face. She didn't blame the brunette for reacting badly, and felt really touched at how heartfelt Beca's apology was. She gave her hand a gentle squeeze and a reassuring smile. "I forgive you, we're good. I promise. I trust that you care about me, you're okay."

Beca's immediate relief almost wiped away all her guilt. "So, what now?"

"Nothing." Chloe shrugged. "We're out, so that's it for the Bella's. But maybe it doesn't need to be the end for us? I want us to stay friends, even without the Bella's. Because when I'm with you, we have fun, and it's relaxed and carefree and we're equal. I need that. I want us to stay friends, Beca, okay?"

"Of course, Chloe," replied Beca, relieved. Wow. Looks like she had made a real, true friend. This was a first.

At that moment, her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out to read the incoming text.

_Hey, wanted to let you both know that we're heading back in a few. Are you two coming on the Treble bus with us? Hope you're both okay – CR_

"It's Cynthia Rose," she told Chloe. "She's checking that we're okay, and to let us know that they're leaving in a few, and are we coming?"

Chloe sighed. "I can't deal with Aubrey right now. I know she's my best friend, but I just can't. If you're up for it, I'd rather crash in a motel tonight, and then rent a car tomorrow for the drive back. Does that sound okay?"

"Actually, it really does. Cool. I'll just text her back and tell her we're set to get back ourselves."

Chloe nodded, slipping a few bills on the table. They exited the café, and managed to flag a taxi down fairly quickly.

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

After getting dropped off at a cheap motel and paying for a room, the girls opened the door to find a somewhat clean, but small, room.

"Looks like we'll be sharing a bed tonight," Chloe said as she tossed her jacket lightly onto the end of the double sized bed. Beca nodded, not seeing any other possible solution, and sank down onto the soft mattress. She shrugged out of her jacket, and began untying her Bella's scarf.

"Do you need the bathroom at all?" Chloe asked.

"No, go right ahead. I'm pretty much ready to get into bed," replied Beca. She glanced over her shoulder, watching the redhead enter the tiny bathroom, and then glanced down at her feet as she slipped her shoes off. Once they were removed, she placed them to the side, pulled her hair out of the elastic band binding it, and then stood up to pull the covers back.

Beca climbed back into bed, and reclined against the pillows, taking note of how silent the room was, compared to the evening. All she could hear was the sound of running water in the bathroom, which soon shut off and the door opened.

"Sleepy?" Chloe asked, as she kicked off her shoes.

Beca sighed. "Yes. No. Kinda, I guess." She glanced over, and saw Chloe pulling her skirt off. "Whoa. You're not going to sleep naked, are you?"

Chloe grinned, and shook her head. "Don't worry, no. There's no way I can sleep in a skirt. You don't seriously still have yours on, right? You'll be super uncomfortable. They're _pencil skirts_."

Beca rolled her eyes, but had to admit that the redhead had a point. Wriggling around under the sheet, she managed to unzip her skirt, and slide it off. "I swear, if it were anyone else but you," she said wryly.

Chloe lightly tossed her neck scarf on the bedside table, and slid into the bed next to Beca, taking care not to touch the brunette – she didn't have an issue sharing a bed with another girl, but she knew Beca was still new to the whole sharing personal space thing, and didn't want to freak her out.

Beca reached over to the light switch conveniently located next to her side of the bed, and snapped the light off. They lay in the darkness for a few minutes, with only moonlight filtering through the window.

Chloe closed her eyes, but only lasted a few moments before opening them again. Her mind was too full to allow her to sleep. And for some reason, she couldn't stop thinking about the woman lying in the bed, half a foot away. She reached up to her neck and fingered the delicate treble clef charm that hung around her neck, her Christmas gift from Beca.

"Beca?" she said in a soft whisper, not waking to disrupt her friend if she'd already fallen asleep.

"Yeah, Chloe?" the brunette replied. She turned her head to the side, and caught Chloe's eyes.

"Can I ask you a sort of personal question? You can say no, though," Chloe asked quietly.

Beca nodded in the dark, not realizing that Chloe wouldn't be able to see. Chloe took the silence as a yes anyway.

"Do you honestly not like Jesse?"

Beca released a soft sigh. "As a friend, nothing more," she replied in an equally soft voice. "Other than you, he's the only other real friend I have here at Barden, and I don't want to lose that. But god, he knows how to piss me off, like tonight. And I wish Aubrey would get it out of her head already that I like him. And as for Jesse, I know he wants more than just friendship, but I don't, I really don't see him that way. He's definitely not my type."

Chloe felt a flutter in her stomach, feeling a strange surge of hope rise up. "Oh, okay," she replied lightly.

"Why? Are you interested in him?" Beca asked. She shifted in the bed to face Chloe, whose face was illuminated slightly in the moonlight.

"Jesse? God no. Not at all," Chloe replied immediately.

Beca raised an eyebrow. "Really? He seemed a little like that guy you were hooking up with at initiation. What is your type, then?"

Chloe thought for a moment, her brow furrowed. "I guess I'd like a person who's down to earth, loves music, and like me for me," she replied slowly. "Those frat guys I've been with didn't mean anything; they were just there and were good for a bit of fun. But I haven't even been with anyone for a few months now. I guess I'm just waiting for the right… person to come along." She glanced across at Beca, making eye contact in the darkened room for the briefest of moments before flicking her gaze back to the ceiling.

Beca wasn't quite sure how to interpret this, as the part of her that was hardcore crushing on Chloe made her feel quite hopeful – yet her realist side was beating her with a stick, protecting her from getting too hurt.

She couldn't help but take not of the fact that Chloe didn't use a male pronoun when referring to the type of person.

________________________________________

Chloe awoke the following morning, to find out that during the night, she and Beca must have subconsciously gravitated towards each other, as they were currently cuddled together. Beca's head rested on her shoulder, Chloe's arms wrapped tight around her upper body, their legs tangled together.

It felt…comfortable.

Chloe was always a cuddly person, and wouldn't think twice about snuggling up with her friends when watching movies or at a sleep over. Over the past few years, she and Aubrey had a close friendship, where they would crash on Chloe’s sofa together after a long night of practicing their Bella's routine, or Chloe would sleep over in Aubrey’s apartment when Chloe’s dorm mate would bring yet another guy to the room.

Yet, as Chloe laid there, one of her hands absently coming up and slowly running her fingers through Beca's hair, she started to reflect on her friendship with Aubrey. She was starting to see how she had truly become the submissive one in their friendship, and how Aubrey took advantage of that to maintain control. Chloe basically let her, always justifying it in her mind with some excuse, like Aubrey was under a lot of pressure, or maybe her ideas really were better.  
How things changed.

Choosing to follow Beca and not Aubrey last night demonstrated how Chloe was finally standing up for herself. She was extremely pissed at Aubrey, and it might take a little time for their friendship to recover, because Chloe was done with being walked on. From now on, she was going to stand up for herself, and follow her beliefs.  
And it definitely helped knowing that she had Beca by her side.

"Chloe?" a sleepy voice broke the silence.

Chloe snapped to attention, stilling the hand that was in Beca's hair, and glanced down at Beca. The brunette was still in her arms, although felt slightly tense. Respecting that, Chloe released her hold on Beca, and sat up.

"Morning, Beca. I hope they have somewhere good around for breakfast, what do you think?" she asked, stretching before sliding out of the bed to retrieve her skirt.  
Beca eyed the redhead, and internally sighed in relief. It had been surprising to her to wake up in Chloe's arms, but even more surprising to realise that she liked the feeling. When was the last time she had been held by someone and felt so warm and cared about? Not in a long time. But still, she felt awkward when she awoke and realized Chloe was awake too, although seemingly lost in thought, and she wasn't sure what she should do. She appreciated the redhead picking up on that, and ensuring it didn't get awkward. Yep, Chloe was definitely a good friend to have.

"Breakfast sounds good," she replied as she stifled a yawn. "I'd kill to have a shower first, though."

"Go ahead. There are towels in the bathroom. Just a shame that you don't have clothes to change into," Chloe answered. "Anyway. I'm going to go down to speak to the guy at the front desk. Enjoy your shower!"

Beca watched Chloe leave, and then swung her legs over the bed and stood up slowly, relishing in the feel of her muscles stretching. She made her way to the bathroom and turned on the shower, allowing the water to heat up while she undressed. She folded her clothes and placed them onto the closed lid of the toilet, before stepping into the steaming water and pulling the shower curtain across to stop splashes from soaking the tiny bathroom.

The water pressure was surprisingly strong, and felt so good against her back. She started to hum Bulletproof – the song that caused all the dramas the day before – and had just sung the first line to the chorus, when she heard the bathroom door open.

"Beca, don't freak out, it's just me," Chloe's voice called out over the noise of the running shower. "I am not going to burst in on another shower of yours, so you're good. I got us some toothpaste and toothbrushes from the front desk. I just need to brush my teeth, is that okay?"

"At least you're asking this time!" Beca called back, smirking. "That's fine, thanks for getting me one!"

The bathroom was quiet for a moment.

"Can you keep singing?" Chloe asked hesitantly. Beca barely heard her over the sound of the shower, but she grinned anyway.

"This time, baby, I'll be bulletproof…"

________________________________________

In no time at all, the two women were ready to get back to Barden. They had checked out, and the helpful employee at the front desk had directed them to the nearest car rental lot – conveniently a few hundred yards down the road. Chloe didn't hesitate to rent a bright yellow VW Bug, after confirming that there was a rental car drop off location quite close to campus.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road!" Chloe proclaimed as she backed out of the rental lot and onto the main road. Beca, who had been putting their destination into the car's GPS system, glanced up.

"Actually, how about some breakfast, and then we get going?" she asked. "I'm starving."

Chloe nodded, and spied an upcoming donut place that had a drive thru. Within minutes, they were loaded with coffee, donuts and bagels.

"Mm, this is really good coffee," Beca moaned as she took a sip.

Chloe nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely." She placed her drink in the cup holder, and brought her hand back to the steering wheel "Man, this car is nice."

"Why am I not surprised you love this car?" Beca asked humorously. "It seems like just your type."

Chloe briefly glanced sideways at Beca. "So, you've got me all figured out, huh?" She winked as Beca turned to her.

"Well, I wouldn't say all figured out," the brunette said slowly with a smile. "I feel like I still have plenty to learn about you, Beale."

"Same for you. Oh!" Chloe suddenly squealed. "We should play twenty questions!"

Beca groaned. "Oh god, you're one of those people who love playing games during long road trips. How am I going to survive this….just kidding!" she added hastily at Chloe's raised eyebrow. "Look, I'll even start. Alright, are you a fan of long car rides?"

Chloe shook her head with a smile. "Depends who I am with. Usually I am just zoned out with music. But there are times when it's fun – like part of our trip to the semi finals, before the whole running out of gas thing, that was fun. But I do really want to do a proper road trip, like in the summer, drive to a few states with some friends, just having fun."

"Sounds like that could be fun," Beca agreed. "Okay, your turn."

"Um…" Chloe pondered for a moment. "What is the best gift you've ever gotten?"

"You mean, aside from my amazing journal that you got me?" Beca asked with a smile. Chloe grinned. "I suppose then, my headphones. Although the circumstances were pretty shitty, since it was kind of a present my parents got me to help them break the news of their divorce. But seriously, I've had these things for, what, six years now? And they're still the best."

Chloe grinned. "Maybe I'll have to borrow them sometime."

"Normally, I'd snap someone's wrist if they touched my headphones," Beca admitted. "But you always seem to get your own way anyhow, so I guess I might be able to let you use them from time to time." She chucked as she saw the beam light up Chloe's face. "Okay dork, your turn."

They continued on with the questions for a solid hour, progressively getting deeper with the questions and answers. Beca found she was actually having a lot of fun hanging out with Chloe and getting to know her better.

"Next question…here's an interesting one," Chloe said thoughtfully, a faint smirk on her face. "It's a two fold, okay? Have you ever kissed a girl before, and would you want to?"

Beca felt a light blush creep onto her face. Of all the questions Chloe could ask, she was asking this one. She cleared her throat. "Uh, no, I haven't kissed a girl before, but, um, yes, I might want to."

Chloe stole a glance at Beca. She would consider kissing a girl? Chloe wondered if she had any particular girl in mind. Of course, it'd be too much to hope for it to be her. Before she could ask, Beca quickly turned the tables on her.

"What about you? Same question," she asked curiously.

Chloe drew in a breath. "Well, yes I've kissed a girl before. There was a frat party last year, and I might have been a little drunk. I might have made out with a girl there, but I haven't seen her since."

Beca nodded slowly. "And would you want to kiss a girl again?"

Chloe considered this, trying to work out how to phrase her thoughts correctly. "If it were the right girl, then yes, I want to." She took her eyes off the road for a moment to give Beca a fleeting look. Beca could see a myriad of emotions flickering in those blue eyes, but wasn't sure how to interpret what she was saying.

At that moment, Titanium came on the radio.

"Beca, it's our song!" Chloe squealed happily. The slight emotion in the air vanished, and Beca reached forward to turn up the music. Together, they started rocking out to the song.

________________________________________

The rest of the road trip passed fairly smoothly, and the women arrived back at Barden somewhat tired, but happy despite the events of the previous evening.

Life resumed as normal, but with one major change – no more Bella's rehearsals. It wasn't until the rehearsals were over, that Beca actually realized how much of her time had been spent in that auditorium with the other Bella's. She was now able to spend more time focusing on her mixes – something that became particularly important, considering Luke was now giving her a few more late night shifts.

However, there was always time made to spend with Chloe. The two made time to hang out, like Chloe would bring coffee and muffins over after her morning run on the days where they both didn't have morning classes, or Beca would text Chloe during slow shifts at the radio station. As the weather warmed up, they spent time between classes hanging out in the quad; usually listening to music while Beca taught Chloe how to identify matching beats and how to lay songs over each other.

It was on one of these warm afternoons, when Beca realized that Spring Break was only half a week away. It had easily slipped her mind, considering she wasn't doing anything for it. She wondered if Chloe had already made plans. Maybe she hadn't, and they could hang out again, like they did over Christmas.

"Something on your mind, Mitchell?" Chloe teased. Beca snapped out of her daydreams, and turned her face towards the redhead.

"Nothing in particular. Just trying to decide how to spend the upcoming week with no classes and no radio shifts," she replied. "Do you have plans?"

A flash of nervousness appeared on Chloe's face for a nano-second – Beca wasn't sure if she had even interpreted the look correctly. "Uh, yeah, I think I'm heading home to see my parents," Chloe replied. "Oh, by the way, I uploaded your recent mixes to my laptop. Think you might have any others I could get?" She dug her hand into her handbag to find the flash drive.

"Uh, sure," Beca replied. Was it just her, or did Chloe not want to talk about Spring Break? That was fine though, she respected Chloe and wasn't going to push the issue. "Any requests for your next mix?" she asked with a smile.

Chloe withdrew her hand from her bag, empty. "Shoot, I must have left it on my desk. I'll try get it back to you before I go, don't worry," she said with a smile. "Um, how about you surprise me? That's what you do best, right?" She winked, and then emitted a loud chuckle as Beca started to blush. "God you're easy!"

Beca shook her head, her blush turning to a smirk. Only for you, Chloe, she thought to herself.

**TBC**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

White.

The world had turned white.

Chloe puzzled over this, wondering what could have caused it. Had there been a major snowstorm? Most likely not, as she was feeling quite warm and fuzzy. So that eliminated that option. Hmm. Maybe there was a white t-shirt draped across her face?

She began to reach her left arm up to check, only to find a resistance preventing her from moving her hand. A moment later, her brain processed that the resistance was actually someone holding her hand.

She slowly turned her head to the side, and took in a fuzzy image of a person sitting somewhat uncomfortably in a hard plastic chair. The movement caused the figure to straighten up, and squeeze Chloe's hand a little tighter.

"Hey Chloe," said the figure softly, and it took a moment to recognise Beca's voice. "You're out of surgery; the doctor said it went well. But you're only just starting to come out of the anaesthesia. Try to get some sleep, okay? I'll be here when you wake up."

Chloe managed a soft smile, before drifting back to sleep.

________________________________________

_Man, these chairs are NOT comfortable,_ Beca thought to herself as she attempted to rearrange herself for what felt like the hundredth time.

It had been two hours since Chloe had fallen back to sleep, and Beca hadn't left the room, aside from going to the adjoining bathroom. A nurse had come in a couple times to check in on Chloe, and had smiled sweetly at Beca and said something along the lines of _aren't you just the sweetest friend ever, keeping her company._ Beca just smiled awkwardly and played with the frayed edges of Chloe's blanket, but was relieved that otherwise, she was relatively left in peace. The room was still, and calm, and filled only with the sounds of Chloe's steady, even breaths, and the occasional scrape of the chair against the linoleum as Beca readjusted her position.

Beca sighed, as she glanced down at her friend. _I can't believe I am thinking this, but I actually miss the Bella's,_ she thought mournfully. It had taken a huge adjustment at first, but she had really grown to enjoy the group dynamics, even Aubrey's manic moods during rehearsals. And yeah, in retrospect, she probably should have warned the others that she was going to shake things up at the last performance, or at least, warned Chloe - it pained Beca to remember the hurt look Chloe had after the performance, knowing that Beca didn't trust her to share. But at the end of the day, she still stood by her belief that the Bella's needed some fresh sounds.

_Doesn't matter now, the Bella's are over,_ she thought glumly. _At least I still have Chloe._

Chloe was such a good friend to her. She still forgave Beca for what happened at Regionals, and still wanted to hang out with her in their spare time. Beca appreciated it, considering she wasn't really the kind to make friends easily.

"Beca?"

Beca, who had been staring absently at Chloe's hand that she was still holding, snapped her gaze up at the raspy voice. Chloe was awake, and watching her curiously.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Beca asked her, sitting straighter in her chair. "The doctor said the surgery went really well."

"I feel okay, my throat hurts though." Chloe whispered back in reply. "How long have you been here? How did you know I was getting surgery?"

Beca sighed softly. "First, let me say I'm sorry, because I know you didn't tell me, and that was your choice. But I went by your dorm, because I wanted to get my spare flash drive to put more mixes on it for you. Remember, you wanted more, but you forgot to get the drive to me. Your weird roommate was just leaving for Spring Break, but she let me in and said you weren't there, and when I looked on your desk for my flash drive, I saw the pamphlet for vocal nodes surgery with the hospital name scrawled on top. So I took a chance, called them up, and I've been here ever since you were wheeled into surgery."

Chloe's eyes widened, but didn't interrupt.

"And I'm sorry if you didn't want me here at all. It's just that I'm a loner, I don't make friends easily and I don't get attached to people. Like, ever. But that changed when I came to Barden, because I met you. And I know that Aubrey is your person, I know that she's your best friend and I don't want to interfere with that at all, but to me, you're my best friend. You know me better than anyone, including my parents. And I don't think I could have managed being in my dorm room, knowing that you'd be here, alone, after having your voice operated on."

"Beca…" Chloe whispered, shaking her head. She was at a loss of words, touched by Beca's speech. Instead of replying, she allowed her actions to do the speaking for her, by tugging on Beca's hand. The brunette stood, and Chloe pulled her into a tight hug.

"Thank you," she whispered simply in Beca's ear. She closed her eyes and leaned further into the embrace, wondering to herself how she got lucky enough to break through Beca's walls and gain such a true friend.

"Good to see you're awake, Ms Beale," called a loud voice, and the two women broke apart to see a tall doctor striding into the room. He picked up the chart from the end of the bed, read over the notes, and turned to Chloe.

"So, the surgery went better than expected. Although, you're not going to know the damage to your vocal range for a few days. You need to rest your voice for three days – that means no singing whatsoever," he informed her sternly. "No signing, no yelling, no screaming, no talking above a whisper. And you will need to see a laryngologist on Friday to assess your voice. But otherwise, it seems like you are all set. I'll send a nurse in to discharge you, and as long as you're willing to adhere to a strict diet for a few days, you're free to go home tonight."

"Thanks," Chloe rasped. She gave him a small smile, and he nodded curtly before exiting the room.  
"Well. He seemed lovely," Beca commented dryly.

A nurse came bustling in, and handed a clipboard of forms to Chloe, pointing out where to sign. "Do you need us to call you a cab, miss?" she asked.

"No, she's got a ride," Beca spoke up. Chloe shot her a grateful smile.

"Alright then. You can change out of that hospital gown now, and an orderly will be in here in a few minutes with a wheelchair – sorry hun, hospital policy," the nurse added as she saw Chloe blanch at the mention of a wheelchair. Chloe nodded, resigned.

________________________________________

Twenty minutes later, Chloe had been discharged, and Beca had driven them both to the nearest grocery store to buy foods that would be soft enough for Chloe's tender throat.

"Which ice cream do you want, caramel swirl or espresso?" Beca asked as she perused the freezer section.

"Uh…just grab both. Aubrey's not around to make sure I'm adhering to her strict Bella diet, so I might as well treat myself," Chloe whispered in reply, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Beca chuckled, and tossed both into the basket she was carrying, which already contained several cans of soup, a large bottle of apple juice, a six pack of iced tea, and a box of macaroni and cheese.

As they headed towards the cashier, Chloe snagged a magazine off a rack, and then glanced over at Beca. "So, what are your plans for the rest of Spring Break?"

"Well, I had planned for not much. I didn't want to spend it with my father and the stepmonster, nor do I want to visit my mother for a week, so I figured I'd just hang out on campus," replied Beca. She set the basket of items down in front of the cashier, and turned to face Chloe. "All I have is a couple of night shifts at the radio. But, my plans may be potentially changing, depending if a particular redhead is actually going to visit her parents or not." She gave a half smile to show she was kidding.

Chloe offered up a small smile, meeting Beca's eyes. "Beca, about that, I'm really sorry-"

Beca held a hand up, cutting her off. "You don't need to apologize. I can understand why you wouldn't want to have told anyone, I know how important your voice is. Did you even tell your parents, or Aubrey, that you were getting the operation?"

"Aubrey doesn't know. My parents do though, I had to list them on my emergency forms and figured they should be aware I was already in hospital, if something went wrong. But I did want to tell you, I just…I was scared," Chloe admitted.

"Chloe, it's okay," Beca said reassuringly, placing their items down on the checkout conveyer, and then reaching out to touch Chloe's shoulder gently. "I support whatever choices you make. I just want you to be alright, okay?"

Chloe smiled in relief. "Thanks, Beca. So, since you're not doing anything this week, want to spend it with me, then? My room mate's away for the week, and Aubrey has gone home for the week too. We could keep each other company, and hang out, and you can show me more of your mixes?"

"Uh," Beca began, but paused at the hopeful look on her friend's face. "Sure, sounds like fun," Beca replied, smiling at the beam on Chloe's face. As the redhead turned to pay the cashier, Beca shook her head. It was hard to say no to Chloe – not that she would have anyway.

________________________________________

"So, want to continue with our Grey's Anatomy marathon from last time?" Chloe asked softly as she stifled a yawn.

Beca raised her eyebrows, hiding her smirk. "Actually, how about we save that, and you pick us out a movie to watch? Maybe one that you're not desperate to see, considering you're probably going to fall asleep in the first twenty minutes? We can save Grey's for a day when you're more awake."

"You're a smart one, Beca Mitchell. I knew I was friends with you for a reason," Chloe replied. She pulled out a cheesy comedy and fed it into the disc drive of Beca's laptop, while the brunette finished heating a can of soup, poured it into two bowls and brought it over.

The girls had gone to Beca's dorm room first, so that she could collect her laptop, clothes, shower things and a couple other items to get her through the week. Once getting to Chloe's dorm room, Beca sent Chloe to get changed into pyjamas and then rest on the bed. As she did that, Beca put the ice cream into Chloe's mini fridge/freezer and stashed the rest of the groceries on the study desk. She then organised something to eat to quieten the audible growls from both their stomachs, feeling grateful for the microwave Chloe had sitting on the mini fridge, and thinking to herself that she seriously needed to set up her own mini kitchenette in her own dorm room so she could eat less meals in the campus cafeteria.

"How'd I get so lucky to score you as a friend?" Chloe asked jokingly as Beca carefully passed over a bowl of soup – barely warm, because she wasn't allowed to have anything hot, and that unfortunately included coffee – and settled in next to her.

"Uh, don't think you really gave me a choice there," Beca pointed out. "Besides, you're going to owe me one now."

Chloe paused, spoon halfway to her mouth. Slowly, she lowered the bowl to sit on the bed in front of her, and turned to face Beca. She waited until she had the brunette's gaze.

"Bec, back in the hospital, what you said about me being your best friend?" Chloe began. "I want to make sure you _know_ , that you're my best friend. Yeah, I have Aubrey, although lately she hasn't been treating me like much of a friend. But having her doesn't lessen how important you are to me too. And of course I'll be there for you if you need me, because that's what best friends do. You _are_ my best friend. You already mean the world to me. Okay?"

Beca gaped slightly, internally buzzing with happiness, and another feeling that she tried not to focus on. Instead, she attempted to maintain a cool façade. She didn't really know how to respond to that, without sounding like a total dork.

"And besides, now I get to officially call you my bestie, and we can have slumber parties talking about boys and giving each other facials and having pillow fights in our underwear," Chloe added with a smirk.

The tension broken, Beca chucked and elbowed Chloe playfully in the ribs. "Dork," she said with a grin. "Thanks, though."

Chloe saw the conveyed sincerity in the words, and smiled to herself. She elbowed Beca back, and then picked up her bowl of soup and finished it off quickly. Beca collected the empty bowls and took them to the sink, then came back to sink down against the pillow she was using as a backrest. Chloe promptly made herself comfortable leaning against the brunette's side.

"Are you right there?" Beca asked with feigned annoyance.

"Shush. You love it," came the raspy response.

And to be honest, Beca really didn't mind her friend using her as a human pillow. She had definitely gotten used to Chloe's touchiness, because it happened, like, _all the time,_ and had actually come to appreciate the sincerity and comfort it brought.

Beca casually slung her arm over Chloe's shoulder, and the two turned back to the movie. They continued to watch in a comfortable silence.

**TBC**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

A buzzing sound interrupted the silence, causing Chloe to snap her eyes open. The room was dark, lit only by the glow of the laptop, on which the play menu for the movie was displayed, the movie having long since ended.

She and Beca had fallen asleep during the movie, and in their sleep had moved to a more comfortable position laying down. Chloe had ended up cuddled against Beca’s back for warmth, which she missed sorely as she sat up, trying to work out where the buzzing was coming from.

“S’matter?” Beca asked sleepily, stirring as she felt Chloe shifting around behind her.

“It’s just my cell phone,” Chloe whispered back. “Go back to sleep.”

Chloe finally extracted her cell phone from being wedged into the side of the bed, as Beca rolled over to face her, eyes closed and already half asleep. Sliding her finger across the screen to unlock the phone, Chloe tapped into the message and let her eyes flick across the screen to read the text message from Aubrey.

A soft gasp from Chloe caused Beca to startle and sit up. “What’s wrong?” she asked blearily, rubbing her eyes.

Wordlessly, Chloe handed the phone to Beca. Before reading the text, Beca noticed several emotions flash across Chloe’s face – shock, disbelief, excitement, and then worry. She glanced down at the phone.

_We’re back in, aca-bitches! Full steam ahead for Nationals - rehearsal first thing on Monday after Spring Break, NO exceptions!_

“Well, that’s great, right?” Beca asked as she returned her gaze to Chloe, who appeared even more worried, and upset. “What’s wrong?”

Chloe drew in a slow, shuddering breath. “Beca…I just had surgery. On my voice. My voice, Beca.”

Beca immediately understood that it was only just hitting the redhead that she would most likely not be able to sing in the full range she used to. She knew that music was Chloe’s life, and singing was her passion. Although it was the right move to make for her health, the surgery was now going to be the black shadow over Chloe until she could sing again.

“Chloe. Come here,” Beca said softly, reaching out for her friend. She pulled Chloe into her arms, who buried her face against Beca’s neck. A few wet splotches landed on Beca’s shoulder, so she brought her arms around the older girl and began to run her fingers along her spine comfortingly.

She didn’t bother saying it would be okay, or that Chloe’s voice would be fine. She knew that Chloe would see through those comments in a heartbeat, because things might not be fine, and it could change Chloe’s opportunities for nationals. Instead, she tugged downwards so that they were laying back on the bed, and held Chloe even tighter.

Chloe simply burrowed into Beca’s embrace, and allowed the tears, the surgery, the pressure, the pain, to release.

________________________________________

Beca awoke in the morning, feeling extremely relaxed and cozy. She laid there with her eyes closed, basking in her warmth, until she realized she wasn’t alone in bed.

She slowly opened her eyes, and remembered the previous night – Chloe getting a text message, and getting upset about her voice, and Beca comforting her. Right now, Chloe was still fast asleep, draped across Beca. Her arms were wrapped around Beca, and their legs tangled together. Beca couldn’t help but notice how perfectly Chloe’s head fit in the crook of her neck.

She hated seeing Chloe so upset. Dropping a light, friendly kiss onto Chloe’s temple, she tightened her grip on the redhead, and finally acknowledged the tingles she felt in the pit of her belly.

She had fallen, completely, and irrevocably, for Chloe.

_I never really stood a chance,_ she thought to herself with a small smirk. She closed her eyes, and just started to allow her mind to drift into a pleasant daydream when she felt Chloe start to stir. Beca opened her eyes to see sleepy blue ones watching her.

“Good morning, Chloe. How are you feeling?” Beca asked tentatively.

Chloe smiled softly. “I’m okay. My throat still hurts, and I’m frustrated that I can’t have coffee for a few more days, but I’m fine,” she said in her raspy whisper. She paused for a moment. “I’m sorry about my meltdown last night though”

Beca gave her a reassuring smile. “You’re fine, you have nothing to apologize for. It’s a big thing, competing in the ICCA’s, and I can’t imagine what it’s like for you. You and Aubrey have been working towards this for years. Hey, I’m just glad I was here for you.”

Chloe didn’t answer, just burrowed into Beca a little tighter, before pulling away and slowly getting up. “I need a shower, I smell like hospital.”

“My muscles are aching from sitting in that plastic hospital chair,” Beca said. “I’m definitely in need of a hot shower too, we can go together.” Her eyes widened slightly. “I mean, we can go to the shower area together, but take our separate showers, I didn’t mean-“

“Beca, it’s okay,” Chloe replied with a chuckle. “I know what you meant. Besides, I already have a memory of that to last a lifetime.” She gave Beca a wink, and turned to find her shower caddy.

Beca could feel her face turning red, her mind immediately recalling Chloe standing in front of her, naked, while they sang together. She remembered locking eyes with Chloe as their voices combined, and the rush of adrenaline. She also remembered stealing a glance at Chloe’s body, and blushed harder. She shook her head to clear it, and followed Chloe out of bed to collect her own shower things.

________________________________________

The next few days of Spring Break passed relatively fast. Chloe marvelled at this; she had initially been dreading Spring Break – and rightfully so, considering her operation and what that could mean for her future. But instead of spending the week alone in her dorm and dwelling over thoughts of never singing again, she was with Beca. She was with Beca, who took care of her, and made sure she had enough food, and kept occupied.

For the most part, they spent their days watching Netflix, listening to music, studying, and taking walks around campus. Beca had definitely seen more of Barden University during this week than she had all year. They spent their evenings apart, with Beca at the radio station and Chloe alone in the dorm, but even that time was filled with constant texts between the two. Beca would then return to Chloe’s dorm room a little after midnight, where Chloe would be waiting with tired eyes, pulling Beca into bed and immediately falling asleep.

So there was no surprise to Chloe when it was Friday before she realized, and she was standing outside the office to her laryngologist. Beca stood beside her, their upper arms lightly touching.

“I guess we should go inside,” Chloe said eventually, but made no move to step forward.

“There’s no need to rush, we’re early,” Beca countered. “The only thing to remember, is the sooner you get in there, the sooner you’ll know. And then we can go from there. But just remember, regardless of whether the results are good or bad, you’re still a Bella, and you always will be. Okay?”

Chloe exhaled, a steely glint growing in her eye. She glanced at Beca, nodded, and the two women entered the medical office. Beca hung back in the waiting area while Chloe checked in, and the redhead was whisked away to the exam rooms almost immediately.

Beca grabbed a seat, grimacing slightly when she realized they were even more uncomfortable than the hospital chairs. She spent a couple minutes trying to occupy herself by flipping through some magazines, however quickly gave up and resorted to plugging in earbuds and listening to music on her phone. It made the time pass quicker, although she had no idea how much time had passed when she finally saw Chloe re-entering the waiting room, an impartial look on her face and a sheaf of papers in her hand.

The second they stepped outside, Beca whirled around to face Chloe. “So? How was it?” she asked.

Chloe’s face sank slightly, but she attempted a smile. “I can sing,” she said, watching a smile form on Beca’s face. “However,” she countered, “I might have lost some of my range. The doctor said there’s a chance I may never be able to sing above a G sharp.”

Beca saw a tear form in Chloe’s eye. Without hesitation, she pulled Chloe into a tight hug. Chloe clung to her, and Beca rubbed her back soothingly. When it felt like Chloe had calmed down, Beca pulled back, but kept a reassuring hand on Chloe’s shoulder. “He said might, though?” she asked, and gave an encouraging smile when Chloe nodded. “So let’s focus on that. We have Bella’s practice on Monday, and we can explore your vocal range in depth then.” This time it was Beca’s turn to falter. “That is, if Aubrey lets me back into the Bellas, after last time.”

Chloe slung an arm over the brunette’s shoulder, and started to lead them back to the car. “Don’t worry about that, my dear Beca,” she said confidently. “You’re in, if I have anything to say about it. Aubrey may be my best friend, but so are you, and I’m also co-captain. I’m not going to let her stop me from putting my foot down this time.”

________________________________________

All hell was breaking loose.

At least, that’s what it appeared like as Beca stepped into the auditorium Monday afternoon, shortly after the Bella’s meeting had started. After talking to Chloe, they decided it would be best for Beca to show up a little later, so Chloe could talk to Aubrey about the brunette coming back to the group. That way, Aubrey would feel more in control, and hopefully they could all have a nice, calm discussion.

Therefore, Beca had a big shock walking in to seeing Chloe, Aubrey, and Fat Amy, struggling to reach for the pitch pipe, and the rest of the girls in various states of disarray. Nor did she expect the nauseating smell of vomit that assaulted her when she got closer. She shouted out for them to stop, and they all did. Beca watched as Aubrey grabbed the pitch pipe and jumped up.

“This is a Bella’s rehearsal,” Aubrey said, clearly not happy that Beca was standing there. _So clearly Chloe didn’t get an opportunity to say anything yet,_ Beca thought, glancing at the redhead. Chloe was slowly getting to her feet, and Beca paused, watching to make sure she wasn’t hurt, before drawing in a deep breath.

“I know. I, uh, wanted to say that I’m sorry,” Beca said, biting her lip, but an encouraging smile from Chloe made her continue. “What I did was a really dick move, and I shouldn’t have changed the set without asking you guys. I let you all down, and I’m sorry.”

Everyone was silent, watching her. Chloe was still smiling reassuringly at her, and it also lightened her to see Cynthia Rose and Ashley smiling at her as well. Aubrey, however, was stone faced.

Beca drew in another breath. “Aubrey, if you’ll have me…I want back in.”

Chloe’s eyes went to Aubrey, noticing the steel in her expression. “Aubrey,” she said in a low voice, her tone laced with warning. Aubrey kept her eyes locked on Beca, showing no sign that she heard.

Beca’s eyes flickered to Chloe again, and she reached down and grabbed the back of a chair. She started to drag it behind her as she slowly started walking away, glancing over her shoulder back at Aubrey.

“Aubrey,” Chloe said again, just as softly as before but twice as dangerous. This caused Aubrey to glance over at her. “If you let Beca walk out that door, you will be saying goodbye to me as well.”

Aubrey hesitated slightly, then snapped her head back to Beca. “Wait,” she called, and Beca immediately stopped, released the chair and walked back to the group.

Chloe exhaled in relief. Aubrey actually _listened_ to her. Beca was going to stay. The group was whole again. It was almost like that moment breathed new life into the group. They sat down as a group, and opened up to each other. Chloe used the moment to let everyone know about her surgery, amid gasps from everyone and a sympathetic look from Aubrey. The thought of the surgery still hurt, but Chloe knew she was dealing with it a lot better than she would have without Beca there for her last week. At least it was out in the open now.

Despite the sharing, Chloe was still semi shocked to see Aubrey hand over the pitch pipe – or attempt to, at least. She was more than happy to leave the smell of the auditorium and go down to the pool, where they sang and harmonized and became a group again. She got another shock though, when her voice turned low and deep when the Bella’s tried to sing ahh, but some reassuring words from Cynthia Rose, and a soft smile from Beca, was all it took to make her forget.

It didn’t really matter, anyway. They were a group again, the Barden Bella’s. And they were going to the ICCA’s.

**TBC**


	11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

The Bella’s left the pool and headed back to the auditorium, so they could get their stuff.

“Rehearsal at 7am tomorrow, don’t be late!” Aubrey announced as the girls started to leave in small groups. Beca made a slight face at the idea of such an early morning, but said nothing, and the rest of the Bella’s called their goodbyes as they left, leaving just Beca, Chloe, and Aubrey. The blonde turned to Beca.

“So, are you ready to plan out the set? Do you have your laptop with you or do you need to go back to your dorm first? We should plan in my apartment, it’ll be a lot more comfortable there,” Aubrey said immediately, although her face was alight with excitement.

“You mean start planning right now, tonight?” Beca asked incredulously, then quickly nodded when she saw Aubrey’s face drop a little. “I mean, of course, your apartment sounds great! I have all my stuff here with me, so I’m good to go.”

“Excellent!” Aubrey replied. “Let’s go!” She slung an arm around both Chloe and Beca, and started heading off in the direction of her apartment. Beca tensed slightly at Aubrey’s arm – she couldn’t remember the last time someone other than Chloe did that – but she swallowed and forced herself to relax. Over Aubrey’s head, Chloe shot her a big smile.

____________________________________________________

“Nice place!” Beca said with a low whistle, as they stepped into Aubrey’s apartment. It wasn’t a huge place – there was a kitchen and dining area set to one side of the hall, a lounge room at the end, and a couple of closed doors that Beca presumed to be a bedroom and bathroom.

“Thanks. Or at least, thanks to Daddy Dearest,” Aubrey replied, slightly dryly as she tossed her bag down. “Alright, let’s get down to business.”

“Actually, can we get some food first? I’m starving,” Chloe replied, and gave Aubrey a hopeful smile. “I can order Chinese food, and have it delivered, so we can still get started while we wait?”

Aubrey nodded, and pulled a takeout menu from a drawer in the small kitchen, tossing it to Chloe. As the redhead dialled her cell and ordered food, Beca moved to the lounge room and sat down on the floor, resting her back against the couch with her laptop on her knees.

To Beca’s surprise, Aubrey came over and sat right next to her on the floor. Beca gave her a sideways glance, noticing the blonde biting her lip. “Are you okay?” she asked hesitantly.

Aubrey turned her head, and gave Beca a smile. “Yeah. I’m feeling a little guilty about changing Bella’s tradition so drastically. But I’m actually really excited to see what we can come up with. Beca…thanks.”

Beca could see the apology in Aubrey’s eyes, and bumped their shoulders together. “Anytime, Aubrey. I’m glad to be here, helping the Bellas. Thank you for that.”

Before they could continue, Chloe practically skipped over and settled herself on the other side of Beca, stretching her legs out in front. 

Sandwiched between the two girls, Beca considered asking for a little space, but internally rolled her eyes. Since when did Chloe understand the concept of space? Instead, she pulled up the mixing program on her laptop and let her fingers rest lightly on the keys. “Okay, so let’s get started. We should have about three or four songs to use, and we’ll also need to consider which Bella’s will sing which songs. Aubrey, any song suggestions?”

Aubrey considered her for a moment, and then her eyes brightened. “What about Price Tag, by Jesse J? I’ve always loved that song.”

“Great idea Aubs!” Chloe broke in excitedly. “Oh, imagine starting that one out all slow, and then having Cynthia Rose bust out rapping it or something? That would be aca-awesome.”

Beca could see the doubt suddenly appear in Aubrey’s eyes. “I know you’re not a huge fan of rap, but trust me, Cynthia Rose could pull this off perfectly. We can at least try it?”

Aubrey nodded, and Beca immediately pulled up the song on her laptop. “Okay, what else?”

“If we could have Party In The USA in there somewhere, that would be cool,” Chloe piped in. “Oh Beca, what about that ending song from The Breakfast Club?”

Beca glanced at her sharply. “Why that song?”

“Oh come on Beca, don’t give me that look,” Chloe replied with a smile, reaching up and throwing an arm around Beca’s shoulders. “You know it’s a good song, plus remember during Spring Break you were telling me how you missed having Jesse as a friend? We know the Trebles will be coming to watch Nationals, this could be a really cool way to get his friendship back, kind of a homage to him?”

Beca thought about this for a moment, and nodded. “Alright, I guess. It is a cool song. And the beat could layer in really well after Price Tag.”

“Hold on a second. I know we’re totally shaking Bella tradition up, but remember our Oath? I’m still not okay with Bella’s getting treble-boned!” Aubrey cut in, glaring at Beca.

“Whoa Aubrey, chill!” Beca said quickly, hands up. “I promise you, there is absolutely nothing happening there. I swear. He is so far from who I like, I promise you that.”

Aubrey caught on fast to Beca’s slip. “Ah, but there is someone you like? Spill!”

However, as soon as Aubrey said that, she saw a flicker of sadness flash across Chloe’s face. But was there a tiny glint of hope in her eyes? She also noticed Beca’s eyes flutter in Chloe’s general direction- rapid fast, but it was there. Beca started to stutter incomprehensibly, and Aubrey nudged her leg. “It’s okay, I’m kidding. Come on, let’s get back to the set list. What else?”

Chloe bit her lip slightly, grateful for her friend’s deflection. The last thing she wanted the conversation to turn to was Beca’s love interests. Because if Beca admitted she was interested in another person, Chloe honestly thought her heart would break.

“Alright, let’s see…Give Me Everything could be a good one, and I bet Fat Amy would be perfect for it. What do you think?” Beca asked.

The three women turned their focus to the laptop, and continued to talk about possible arrangements. They brainstormed different songs, and discussed who could sing which parts. They finally nailed down a rough idea of what songs they would use, when the doorbell rang.

“That’ll be the food,” Aubrey said, and got up. She disappeared down the hall to pay, and Beca became aware of how close Chloe was sitting to her, and that Chloe’s arm was still slung around her shoulders.

“Becs, I’m so excited about this,” Chloe said, watching Beca manipulate tracks and make tweaks. “This is so big. We’re going to blow minds with our set.”

“That’s the goal,” Beca replied with a grin. “I hope the rest of the Bella’s like what we come up with.” She turned her head to smile at Chloe, and was momentarily caught by the blue in Chloe’s eyes. Neither moved for a moment, just watching each other, breathing silently. Then, in perfect sync, they both started to lean closer to the other, closing the gap, closing their eyes-

“Chloe, can you help me with the food in the kitchen?” Aubrey called out, stepping into view. Beca and Chloe immediately pulled apart, hearts racing, and Chloe jumped up.

“Sure, Aubs,” she said. She glanced back at Beca and gave her a small smile, then followed Aubrey into the kitchen.

“What the hell was that?” Aubrey whispered immediately, her eyebrows raised and an incredulous look on her face. “Are you and Beca hooking up?”

“No! God, Aubrey. It wasn’t what it looked like, okay?” Chloe replied as her face flushed.

“So I didn’t just accidentally walk in on you both about to kiss?”

Chloe squirmed. “Okay, maybe it was exactly what it looked like. But nothing happened, nothing has happened.”

“But you want it to?” Aubrey asked curiously.

Chloe sighed. “That’s beside the point. She’s not interested in me-“

Aubrey snorted, cutting off Chloe. “You’re kidding, right? Oh my god Chloe, you two are so gay for each other, it’s aca-crazy. You’re the only one who Beca will willingly hug, you shared a freaking bed during Winter break, and the looks you both give when you think the other isn’t looking…seriously Chloe, you both have major toner for each other. There’s no way she doesn’t like you like that.”

Chloe felt her hopes rise. True, she and Beca _had_ almost kissed. She wouldn’t have done that if she wasn’t interested, right?

“Besides, the rest of the Bella’s have a bet going on when the two of you will get together,” Aubrey added with a sly grin. “So just tell me. Do you like Beca?”

“Yes, okay? Yes,” Chloe answered, exhaling. “I like her. A lot. More than just wanting to get into her pants too. I _really_ fucking like her and it’s been killing me for months, but there’s no way in hell I want to risk losing her friendship, so I’m just going to deal with life how it is right now, and focus on the Bella’s.”

Aubrey’s eyes widened slightly at this outburst. “Wow. I know you’re serious, because you’re swearing and you don’t swear, like, ever, so, wow. Okay. Well, I hope things work out. I support you, Chloe.”

Chloe blinked away tears and gave Aubrey a grin and a hug, before reaching into one of the kitchen cabinets and pulling down a few plates. They doled food from the cooling plastic containers onto plates, and then carried them into the lounge. 

“Excellent, I’m starving,” Beca said, looking up from her laptop. “I need a little more time finishing this, but I need a break.” She set the laptop down on the coffee table while the other two settled back down. The three women ate on the floor with their plates on their laps, mostly in comfortable silence with the occasional small talk. Even now, Aubrey kept noticing the two stealing glances at each other, and she had to avert her face so they wouldn’t see her smirk and eye roll.

After the welcomed break, Beca eventually reached for her laptop and continued to work on the music. At some point, Chloe and Aubrey pushed the coffee table aside and began practicing different dance steps, discussing the potential of the different moves in their set. Beca found it more than a little distracting to have Chloe rocking around right in front of her, but she simply burrowed down lower against the couch and tried her best to focus.

“Alright, are you guys ready to hear it?” she finally said, unplugging her headphones so that the girls would be able to hear the song through the laptop speakers. Chloe squealed, and she and Aubrey immediately joined Beca again, sandwiching her in as they sat on either side, eagerly waiting for Beca to hit play.

_‘Seems like everybody’s got a price…’_

The three of them sat there, absorbed in the music. Beca bit her lip, not looking at either woman next to her, because she didn’t know how she’d deal if they reacted negatively. She thought it was good (more like _fucking awesome_ because she literally poured her heart and soul into it) but what if Aubrey and Chloe didn’t like it?

Before she could psych herself out too much, the song came to an end, and there was silence for a beat. Then-

“Wow,” Chloe breathed. She reached out to rest her hand on Beca’s thigh and squeezed, to which Beca gave a slight involuntary shudder. “That was amazing.”

“Aca-amazing,” Aubrey corrected. “Seriously, Beca. I’m really impressed.”

“Don’t get your hopes too high though,” Beca broke in nervously. “I mean, this is a bunch of songs layered together. We’ll be singing it a capella style, so it’s going to sound way different, and-”

“Becs,” Chloe interrupted, moving her head a little to catch Beca’s eyes. “It’s amazing. Don’t psych yourself out. We’re going to blow everyone away at the ICCA’s with this set.” She gave Beca’s thigh another squeeze, and grinned when she saw Beca swallow heavily. “Are you okay, Beca?” Chloe asked with a wink.

“I’m fine,” replied Beca quickly, and shook her head slightly. “So, now what? Did you guys get far with choreography?”

“We got a few things planned, but it’ll be best to do that with the rest of the Bella’s tomorrow,” Aubrey answered. “Stacie has a large dancing background, so we want to get her input. But it’s already midnight, we should get some sleep since we have an early morning rehearsal tomorrow.”

Beca’s eyes widened. “Shit, midnight already?” Right on cue, she let out a huge yawn that she quickly tried to cover.

“Don’t worry about going back to the dorms this late though,” Aubrey said, shooting Chloe a quick wink. “You guys can just crash here, and go in the morning when it’s light out. It’s not safe to be walking around campus this time at night. “You don’t mind sharing the pull out sofa bed, right?”

Beca started to cough, and Chloe grinned. “Nope, we don’t mind, do we Beca?”

Beca muttered something incomprehensible, and focused her attention on shutting down her computer. Chloe found blankets in the hall closet, while Aubrey disappeared into her room and brought out a few pairs of shorts and shirts for them to wear to sleep in.

“Goodnight, Chloe. Goodnight Beca,” Aubrey said, giving them a smile and then disappearing into her bedroom. Beca put her laptop on the coffee table, then helped Chloe remove the sofa cushions and pull out the bed. They made it, then Beca picked up one of the sets of clothes Aubrey left out and went to the bathroom to change.

When she came out, Chloe was already changed and lying in bed, a sheet loosely pulled over her waist. Beca slid in next to her, and Chloe immediately turned on her side to face Beca, propping herself up on an elbow. “Beca,” she said softly.

“Mmm?” Beca responded, trying to smother a yawn. Now that she was laying down, she realized how exhausted she was.

Chloe reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind Beca’s ear. She internally debated whether to tell Beca how she felt, reflecting on her earlier conversation with Aubrey in the kitchen. However, just as she opened her mouth, Beca yawned again, and her eyes were fluttering a little. “Nothing,” Chloe replied. “Sweet dreams.”

“Goodnight, Chlo,” Beca replied softly. She burrowed into the mattress slightly, then reached a hand towards Chloe. 

Chloe grinned, and shifted closer so that they were cuddling. She let her fingers trail lightly over the side of Beca’s arm, and then closed her eyes. They were both asleep within moments.

**TBC...**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Beca awoke relatively early. The apartment was still and quiet, with the faintest traces of the new sun peeking through the windows. She could feel Chloe pressed tight into her back, one arm curving over her hip to rest on her stomach. Beca could feel Chloe’s fingertips resting against the skin just below the hem of her shirt.

Instead of getting up, Beca pressed herself further back into Chloe’s embrace, relishing in the feel of being held. She knew she should probably stop this, considering her feelings towards Chloe were far more than innocent, and it wasn’t right to take advantage of that. However, they cuddled all last week, and Chloe was a very touchy-feely person, and was happier when making physical contact with people…

That was when Chloe stretched behind her, and her hand moved up to cup Beca’s breast.

Beca froze. _Shit_ , she thought. _What do I do? Fuck. This is nice, but it’s Chloe!_ She could tell Chloe was still sleeping by the sound of the deep, even breaths coming behind her. Beca squirmed slightly, and then froze again as Chloe’s grip tightened slightly. _Fuck._

Then, as if the situation couldn’t get more stressful for Beca, she heard Aubrey’s voice.

“Rise and shine, ladies!” Aubrey called from the doorway, and then turned to enter the kitchen.

Immediately, Beca sat straight up, dislodging Chloe’s arm and causing the redhead to blearily open her eyes. Before Chloe could even say good morning, Beca flew out of the bed and into the bathroom.

“Hi Chloe. Ready for an exciting day of rehearsals?” Aubrey asked with a smile as she came back into the lounge room, perching lightly on the coffee table with a banana in her hand.

“Uh, yes, definitely. What’s up with Beca?” she replied, rubbing her eyes and pulling herself into a sitting position.

“She’s probably embarrassed because you were totally feeling her up in your sleep,” Aubrey replied cheerily. “Do you want some coffee? I’m about to go brew a pot.”

Any sleepiness Chloe still felt washed away in an instant. “I what?” she asked in horror, mouth open at Aubrey. “I wasn’t, was I?”

Aubrey smirked. “Totes. But she’ll get over it, hell she probably enjoyed it. And it’s not like you did it on purpose, you’ve even done it to me once or twice in your sleep.”

“I what?” Chloe repeated weakly. She was struggling to comprehend what her friend was saying. She did what to Beca? And she didn’t even remember it? God, no wonder Beca didn’t even look her in the eye, she probably hates her now and will never trust her in the same bed again.

“She won’t hate you, don’t worry,” Aubrey said, reading Chloe’s thoughts flicker on her face. “I mean, it’s Beca. She’s probably just a little embarrassed that I saw, because based on her facial expression, she was totally shocked at what you were doing but totally enjoying it too. I bet she’s hoping you didn’t realize so you don’t have to talk about it.” She took another bite of her banana, and rose to her feet. “I’m going to go get that coffee now. If you and Beca want to go back to your dorms to get showered and changed before coming to rehearsal, you’ll have to leave here soon though.”

Chloe watched Aubrey disappear into the kitchen, her mind still reeling. She debated pretending the whole thing didn’t happen, but that wasn’t part of her personality – she knew she’d feel better if she apologized to Beca. She glanced at the bathroom door, hoping Beca would come out so they could talk about it. _Wait, who am I kidding? It’s Beca. There’s no way she’s going to willingly talk about it,_ Chloe told herself. That left her no choice than to go to the bathroom door and tap gently.

“Beca, can I come in?” she called.

There was a beat of silence, then the door opened. Beca stood there, drying her hands on a hand towel. “Bathroom’s all yours,” she said, although there was a definite blush to her cheeks.

“Wait. I know what happened, Aubrey already told me,” Chloe said simply, and had to grin at Beca’s groan.

“Awesome,” Beca replied dryly, blushing harder. 

“Look, I’m really sorry,” Chloe told her. “I was sleeping, and I had no idea what I was doing. Trust me, if I was going to feel you up, I’d do it when we’re both awake,” she added with a wink, and chuckled when Beca make a slight choking sound. “Seriously though, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to invade your space, and I’ll try my best to never do it again. I really don’t want things to get weird between us, you’re my best friend. Are we okay?”

“Of course, Chloe,” Beca answered with a soft smile. Chloe grinned harder and pulled her into a big hug.

“Great. Come to the kitchen with me, there’s coffee, and then we can go back to our dorms. We should still have enough time to shower before rehearsal, it’s only six now.”

“Six in the morning?” Beca groaned. “Definitely going to need some coffee then.” She followed Chloe into the kitchen, where Aubrey was pouring coffee into three mugs. She avoided Aubrey’s eyes, so didn’t see Aubrey’s smirk and Chloe’s swift kick to Aubrey’s ankle, a clear warning not to say anything that would embarrass Beca.

“So, what do you think the girls will say when they hear the song?” Aubrey asked after a sip.

Chloe’s eyes lit up. “Oh my gosh, they’re going to be so excited.”

The three women discussed the upcoming rehearsal while they drank their coffee, then Beca and Chloe headed out. They walked swiftly to their dorms, got ready, and walked together to the auditorium. Aubrey was already there, but the rest of the Bella’s trickled in.

“Alright, Bella’s. We’ve already got a set planned out, Beca worked really hard on it last night,” Aubrey said once they were all settled, and Beca was setting up her laptop. “Ready, Beca?”

Beca hit play, and the mashed up songs played out, ringing through the auditorium.

They loved it. They congratulated Beca, and requested to hear it over and over. By the fourth time, everyone was singing along. By the sixth, Chloe had started taking notes on the whiteboard about who could sing which parts and what dance moves they thought could work for different parts of the song.

By the thirteenth time, Chloe’s hand was starting to cramp, and her cheeks were sore from smiling, but she was happy. The Bella’s were back.

__________________________________________________________________

“We’re almost there. We’re almost at the ICCA’s,” Aubrey said, leaning her head against the window. Chloe leaned forward over the back of Aubrey’s seat.

“Aubs, you’re okay, just take some deep breaths. You can do this. We can do this,” she said softly, praying she wouldn’t get sick. “We’re not performing til tomorrow, we have all day today to relax and rehearse and get ready.”

Aubrey nodded, drew a few deep breaths, gave Chloe a small smile, and closed her eyes.

Chloe leaned back into her seat, and gave Beca a reassuring smile. Chloe had commandeered the entire back bench seat, insisting Beca sit there with her. She’d tried to get Aubrey to sit there as well, but considering Aubrey’s stress level, it was probably best for the blonde to have some space.

“Are you nervous?” Chloe asked her.

“Nope. Are you?” Beca replied

“Nope,” Chloe echoed. She paused, and gave Beca a small smile. “Petrified, actually,” she admitted.

Beca grinned back. “Okay, I might be a little nervous too. But we’re going to rock it.”

“Especially with this set,” Chloe agreed. “I’d listen to it now, if my ipod didn’t die.”

Beca reached into her shoulder bag by her feet, and pulled out her own ipod with simple earbuds. She slipped one into her ear, and offered Chloe the other while she switched it on and scrolled through it to find the right track.

Chloe smiled and shuffled closer to Beca, so that their shoulders were pressed tight together. She slipped the earbud in, and closed her eyes.

__________________________________________________________________

“Chloe?” a voice called distantly.

Chloe screwed her eyes shut tighter. She didn’t want to wake up, she was having an awesome dream that involved winning a trophy, and Beca confessing her love, and an awesome party, and…

“Chlo, we’re here, at Nationals,” the voice came again, and this was enough to make her snap her eyes open. Her head was resting on something, and as she sat up, she realized it was Beca’s shoulder, who was watching her with a smirk. “Come on, sleepyhead, we’re at the hotel. Aubrey’s already gone inside to check in. What were you dreaming about? You were smiling while you slept.”

Chloe coughed slightly. “Uh, just that we were winning Nationals,” she said, conveniently leaving out the part about Beca.

Beca nodded. “Well, let’s get off this bus and go make that dream a reality,” she said, and stood up to get off the bus.

Chloe thought about Beca’s words, and the dream she just had, and blushed. She shook her head to clear it as she followed Beca off the bus, to see the Bella’s milling around and Aubrey heading over, a fistful of swipe cards in her hand.

“Come on, everyone, we’re on the fourth floor. Grab your bags, and please remember to lock the van this time Amy!” Aubrey called out, motioning for everyone to follow. There was a little chaos as everyone moved around, picking up bags and trying not to jostle each other, but eventually made it inside the hotel, into two elevators, and onto the fourth floor.

“Alright, we have these three rooms,” Aubrey announced, juggling with the handful of access cards. She tossed one to Beca, who glanced at it and saw the number 431. She moved to the middle door, swiped her card, and stepped inside, impressed. The hotel room was larger than she’d ever stayed in, and decorated in hues of white, cream, and tan. It was sparsely furnished, however - there was a desk, small sofa area, a couple bureaus, and two large queen beds. Beca eyed one, and wondered if it was as comfortable as it looked. 

“Alright, we have an hour before we meet the rest of the girls for dinner,” Aubrey’s voice came from behind her. Beca turned to see the two co-captains wheeling their luggage into the room.

“Oh, the three of us a sharing?” Beca asked, catching the smile Chloe shot her.

“We are, is that a problem?” Aubrey asked with a raised eyebrow. Her tone was cool.

“Oh no, not at all, of course I’m happy to share with you guys,” Beca answered quickly. “I was just surprised, but it’s a good surprise, I’m stoked to share with you both.” Beca winced slightly. “And I don’t even say words like stoked. But yeah, I’m just going to stop talking now…”

Chloe chucked, she loved seeing Beca all flustered. Aubrey simply started at her for a moment longer, then grinned. “Glad you feel that way, Beca. And I hope you wouldn’t mind sharing a bed with Chloe, either? I prefer to stretch out when I sleep.”

Chloe’s eyes widened, seeing through Aubrey’s words immediately. The blonde was trying to give Chloe an opportunity to be with Beca – although she realized pretty quickly that this was a good thing, since it would mean another couple nights cuddling with Beca. She’d gotten so used to sharing a twin bed with Beca all through Spring Break, and then again at Aubrey’s apartment when planning the set, that her own bed back in her dorm felt large and cold when she went back to sleeping alone. Chloe shot Aubrey a wide smile when Beca wasn’t looking.

“That’s great, I mean fine, uh-“ Beca said, stumbling over her words – she didn’t want to appear too eager on the idea, although she was thrilled. Unbeknown to her, she was experiencing very similar feelings to Chloe in regards to sleeping alone, so she relished the idea of curling up with Chloe.

Chloe chuckled. “Beca, you can stop talking now,” she said in a laughing tone, as she tossed her purse onto one of the beds. “I’m going to jump in the shower, I’m all sticky from the bus trip.”

Aubrey had to physically bite her tongue to refrain from commenting (it was no wonder Chloe was ‘sticky and sweaty’, Aubrey had seen the way Chloe looked at Beca on the bus when the brunette wasn’t watching). Instead, she turned to her suitcase and started rifling through for an outfit.

**TBC**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Two hours later, the Bella’s were all seated around a large, round table in the hotel’s dining room picking at the last of their meals. They had been chatting throughout dinner, and the conversation turned to the summer, and more importantly, future plans for the senior Bella’s.

“Aubrey, what’s the plan after graduation?” Ashley asked.

“I’m interning at my Dad’s law firm this summer, and then I’m going to Duke University for my grad degree in business,” Aubrey replied.

“That’s cool, what kind of a career are you looking for?” Cynthia Rose asked.

Aubrey shrugged, looking slightly troubled. “I’m not sure yet. My Dad wants me to join his law firm, but I really don’t think I want to do that for the rest of my life. I’m hoping getting my graduate degree in business might open up more options for me.”

“What about you, Chloe? Where are you headed off to?” Stacie asked. Beca tensed slightly at this, realizing that she had no idea about her friend’s future plans. She’d mentioned it once or twice over Spring Break, but Chloe had shrugged off the question and changed the subject, and to be honest, Beca didn’t really want to consider the thought of Chloe leaving her, so she’d pushed it to the back of her mind and focused on other things.

Chloe must have noticed Beca tense, because she subtly reached her hand over and took Beca’s in hers. She gave it a soft squeeze, bit her lip, and looked at Aubrey nervously. She knew her friend wasn’t going to be happy with what she was about to say. “Actually,” Chloe started, “I’ll still, uh, I’ll be at Barden still?”

Aubrey’s eyebrows shot up and she turned sharply to face Chloe. “What do you mean, you’ll still be at Barden? Doing what?”

“Russian Lit?” Chloe replied meekly. She bit her lip nervously.

“But you’re taking Russian Lit this semester,” Aubrey said slowly. 

“Yeah, about that…I might have failed my final, so I can’t graduate and have to repeat it next year,” Chloe said in a rush. Honestly, she felt horrible about failing, but the thought of leaving Barden, and leaving the Bellas…and Beca…was worse. She wasn’t ready to leave it all behind, and didn’t know what she wanted in the future. She needed more time to work it out. “Please don’t hate me, Aubs,” she said quietly.

Aubrey sighed, and leaned closer. The other Bella’s took the hint and started chatting loudly to themselves. Beca didn’t join into the conversation, and just sat there, holding Chloe’s hand.

“Of course I don’t hate you,” Aubrey said softly. “I hate that we won’t get to graduate together. I hate that I guess it means I’ll be leaving you. But I definitely could never hate you. I just want you to be happy.”

Chloe smiled, and nodded. “I will be happy. This past year has been hard. I think it will help me to have one more year at Barden, and more time to work out what I want to do.“ She kept looking at Aubrey and gave the blonde a reassuring smile, but under the table she gently squeezed Beca’s hand.

All Beca could do was squeeze back, and smile.

_______________________________________________________________________

Later that night, Beca was ready first, and slipped into one of the beds. Chloe was still brushing her teeth, and Beca watched as Aubrey pulled out a small bottle, extract a couple of pills, and swallow them dry.

“They’re sleeping pills,” Aubrey told her with a smile, when she caught Beca watching. “I know there’s no way I’m going to be able to sleep otherwise, Chloe actually recommended that I take them.”

“That’s a good idea,” Beca replied, blushing slightly at getting caught watching.

Chloe stepped out, gave Aubrey a hug goodnight, and then climbed into bed next to Beca.

“Who knew at the start of the year that we’d be here,” Chloe whispered softly to her. Beca grinned.

“I think if someone told me at the start of the year that I would be sharing a bed with a hot redhead and be singing at a national a capella performance, I would have had them committed,” Beca replied.

“Aw, you think I’m hot? Thanks Bec!” Chloe said with a grin.

“Like you don’t know it anyway,” Beca retorted.

Before Chloe could say anything, Aubrey groaned from her bed. “We really need to get some sleep tonight so we can be fresh for our performance tomorrow, so if you guys could keep the flirting to a minimum, that’d be great,” she said dryly from her bed.

Beca blushed, but Chloe simply chuckled and reached over to turn the lights out. She then turned to Beca and cuddled up to her, whose arms automatically pulled the redhead a little closer. Despite their nerves about tomorrow, they were asleep fairly quickly.

_______________________________________________________________________

The following day was a blur. The Bella’s had access to one of the conference rooms in the hotel that they pushed all the desks aside, and they were able to spend a few hours rehearsing. 

The actual rehearsal time was great, and the girls pulled off the entire set without any issues. However, Chloe had to talk Aubrey down from getting sick several times, Jessica bit her lip so hard from nerves that it started bleeding, and Stacie didn’t even try to hit on the room service attendant who brought them bottles of water during a break.

They made sure to show up at the convention centre early, so they had plenty of time to get ready. Beca jiggled her foot as she waited for the girls to get ready. She wanted to just get on stage already, and show everyone that the Barden Bella’s could actually do this. She was nervous as well, but was trying her hardest to not let anyone else see that.

As they left the dressing room to go backstage when it was time, Chloe stepped up beside her and slipped her hand into Beca’s. Beca smiled, giving her hand a soft squeeze.

It was time.

_______________________________________________________________________

They rocked it.

They freaking _rocked_ it.

Beca was overwhelmed by the volume of applause coming from the audience, and she allowed Aubrey to pull her into a hug as Chloe reached out to grab her hand. It was incredible.

The MC came on stage and thanked them for their performance. They moved to the wings, and down the stairs that led to the audience. There was a couple of rows reserved for performing groups, and Jesse was waving them over.

Chloe gave Beca’s hand a squeeze and then turned to hug Stacie. Beca grinned, waved back and Jesse and began making her way over to him. She was relieved to see how happy he was – hopefully they could go back to being friends again.

Or not.

As soon as Beca reached him, he reached for her hand. “Beca, that was incredible,” he said, and tugged her closer to him. Before Beca could even get a hand up to push him back, he leaned forward, eyes closed and lips puckered.

“Dude, no!” Beca exclaimed, turning her head sharply so he ended up with a mouthful of hair.

“What? Beca, I-” he started to say, but she didn’t give him a chance to finish. She turned away, just in time to see a flash of red hair disappear through the double doors leading out into the lobby.

“ _Fuck_ ,” she muttered to herself, and immediately began weaving her way out of the row, past the Bella’s. Her eyes met Aubrey’s briefly, but had trouble deciphering the look on the blonde’s face – was that irritation, maybe, with some regret, and maybe even hope? Beca didn’t bother considering it any further, because there was really only one thing on her mind.

Chloe.

Beca pushed through the double doors, and glanced around the lobby. It was a large area, but she spotted a figure against the back wall, leaning next to a bank of payphones. She headed over, and was relieved to see it was Chloe. She wasn’t relieved, however, to see the sadness that graced the redhead’s face.

Her eyes met Chloe’s as she made her way over, and neither of them said anything for a moment. Chloe’s eyes dropped, and Beca reached out to lift Chloe’s chin slightly.

“Chloe, I need to tell you,” she began, but Chloe shook her head.

“Beca, it’s fine, you don’t need to tell me anything,” she replied bitterly.

“Yes, Chloe, I do. I didn’t kiss him,” Beca pressed on, needing Chloe to understand. “He tried, but his lips didn’t even touch my face, I pushed him away from me, but you were already gone at that point. I promise. It was all him, but nothing happened anyway.”

Chloe’s eyes widened, and a glimmer of hope appeared on her face. “So you didn't kiss him, and he didn't kiss you, then?” Chloe asked with a wry smile.

“Absolutely not," Beca replied.

“And you don't have any kinds of feelings for him at all," Chloe pressed.

“Chloe, trust me,” Beca stated firmly. “ _ **He**_ is _**not**_ my type.” She gazed into Chloe’s blue eyes as she said this, who stared back, as if reading into Beca’s soul. She reached forward slowly, and laced her fingers through redhead’s.

“Good,” Chloe replied, and tugged Beca’s hand towards her. As the brunette stepped forward, Chloe brought her other arm around Beca’s hips, leaned forward and pressed her lips to Beca’s.

Heart beating furiously, Beca released Chloe’s hand, so that she could wrap both arms around her waist. Chloe used the opportunity to bring her free hand up to cup Beca’s neck, and deepen the kiss slightly.

Fireworks.

The two stood pressed together for several moments, before Beca finally broke the kiss. Rather than pulling away, she simply rested her forehead against Chloe’s, breathing heavily. “Wow,” she managed after a moment.

Chloe exhaled slowly, and beamed. “You have no idea how long I have wanted to kiss you.”

Beca offered a wink. “Had I realized you were that good a kisser, I would have done that a long time ago too. Wow.”

“Yeah. Wow,” Chloe replied softly. She stood still, breathing slow to allow her racing heart to settle – a feat that was proving quite difficult with Beca’s body gently pressed against her.

“Hey, Chloe? Beca?” a voice came from behind them, and they turned to see Ashley standing back, looking hugely embarrassed to have interrupted the moment. “Uh, I’m sorry, but Aubrey sent me to get you guys. She wants us all together when they announce the winners.”

“Thanks Ash!” Chloe said, flashing her a bright smile, but not moving. Ashley returned the smile and quickly disappeared back through the double doors of the auditorium. Chloe’s eyes returned to Beca’s, and raised her eyes at the little smirk on her face.

“How long do you think it will take for everyone to know?” Beca asked her lightly.

Chloe snorted. “I won’t be surprised if they already do, what with you following me out here. Apparently even Aubrey knew we liked each other, although she never actually told me this until very recently. She said all the Bella’s thought so too.”

Beca gaped at her. “Wonderful. Well, I guess we better get back in there before Aubrey comes out.”

Chloe nodded, but reached down to slip her hand in Beca’s. “Is this okay?” she asked hesitantly.

Beca grinned, and gave Chloe’s hand a gentle squeeze. They moved out of their corner, and through the doors into the auditorium to see the rest of the Bella’s filing into the empty row alongside the Trebles. Fortunately, Jesse was on the other end, and resolutely staring forward. Chloe led the way first, taking a seat next to Stacie, and Beca dropped down next to her. 

Stacie glanced over, and Chloe saw her take note of the fact that she was holding Beca’s hands. Stacie, noticing Chloe’s eyes on her, simply shot her a smile and a wink, then turned back to the stage.

Biting her lip nervously, Chloe tried to concentrate on the next two performances, but found it extremely hard to focus when Beca began to absently trace her palm with her thumb. Instead, Chloe maintained the façade that she was watching the performances, yet let her mind wander away with thoughts of Beca. Gosh, I’m so in this, she thought happily.

As the final group left the stage, the MC came on to announce the winners. Chloe squeezed Beca’s hand tighter, holding her breath.

That was their name being called.

They won.

_We won_ , Chloe thought. She turned to Beca, and saw confirmation in her eyes.

“We won?”

“We won!” Beca cried. 

The Bella’s jumped up, hugging each other and cheering. A huge trophy was presented, and Aubrey held it up high in the air for the audience to see. The crowd was on their feet, applauding wildly, and with the sounds of the cheers and the glint of the trophy and the feel of Beca’s arm around her waist, Chloe didn’t think she’d ever felt as happy as she did in that very moment.

_______________________________________________________________________

“Alright aca-bitches, it’s party time!” Amy shouted as the elevator doors closed. “Drinks in Aubrey’s room before we hit the aca-after party!”

Aubrey was so overwhelmed with happiness, she didn’t even complain that the group would be going to her room. She simply clutched the trophy tighter and grinned at the rest of the Bellas in the elevator.

“Wait, can we go to our rooms and change and get ready to go our first?” Stacie asked. “This outfit’s cute and all, but it’s not a party outfit.”

“Plus I brought some ‘party supplies’ but they’re in my room so I need to get it,” Cynthia Rose added.

“Honestly, we can do whatever we want, aca-bitches, we’re champions! Party in Aubrey’s room whenever you’re ready!” Amy said with a grin, just as the elevator doors opened. They swarmed out, and then headed off into their respective hotel rooms.

Aubrey, Chloe, and Beca went to the door to their room, and once Chloe finally got the key card working, the door to their room swung open and they spilled in. Aubrey placed the trophy down reverently on the desk, and Chloe came up behind her.

“We did it. We actually did it,” Chloe breathed, slinging an arm around the blonde. They stared at the trophy in silence for a moment, admiring it.

“Beca, get over here,” Chloe called, glancing over to see Beca taking the clip out of her hair and shaking it out. Beca grinned and moved over to her, taking the hand that Chloe was extending and wrapping her other arm around her waist.

The three of them stood there in silence for several more moments, just staring at the tall trophy that represented so much effort. Then Aubrey sniffed a little, and Beca realized she was crying slightly.

“Dude, are you okay?” Beca asked, and was a little surprised by the laugh that bubbled out of Aubrey.

“I’m more than okay, Beca. I’m aca-amazing. We did it. Take that, Margo!” Aubrey shouted, referring to the Bella’s captain of the previous year. Chloe giggled at that, and brought her arm tighter around Beca. “She put Chloe and I through three fucking years of hell, yet we were the ones who won, not her. I hope she was there in the audience and is the one getting sick over her shame.”

Beca’s eyebrows shot up, and she couldn’t help but laugh at that. 

“Alright, the girls will be getting here soon, we’d better get ready,” Aubrey finally said, pulling away from Chloe’s arm, and started rifling through her suitcase.

“What exactly is the plan tonight?” Beca asked.

“Since the hotel is sponsoring the ICCA’s, they’re hosting the Aca After Party, on their roof,” Chloe told her, pulling away too and going to her suitcase. “But, that party won’t really get fun for at least another hour or so, which is why we’re going to pre-party here!” She held up a bottle of champagne that she pulled from her case.

“Get ready first, Chloe!” Aubrey’s voice called from the bathroom. “Remember that time you drank before getting ready, and you ended up getting so tipsy that you thought it would be a great idea to wear neon? You blamed me for that, even though I’d tried to talk you out of it.” 

“Oops, right,” Chloe said, remembering. She winked at Beca and set the champagne down on the desk next to the trophy. She then turned to Beca and slid her arms around her.

Beca’s heart began to thud again, and she leaned forward to gently kiss Chloe’s lips. She was amazed at how soft they were, how good a kisser Chloe was, how she-

“And stop making out!” Aubrey’s voice came from the bathroom.

Beca groaned, but Chloe simply winked again, turning away to get a change of clothes out of her case.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Within a half hour, all of the Bella’s were in the room and were raring to go. Beca had turned her laptop on to play music, and appreciated that the rooms on either side were Cynthia-Rose’s and Fat Amy’s, so hopefully they wouldn’t get any noise complaints.

Stacie had managed to get ten wine glasses sent up to the room, along with a bucket of ice and tall drinking glasses. She winked at the barely 20-ish boy that delivered them, who was flustered from trying not to stare at her boobs, and then set it on the desk next to the trophy.

“To the Barden Bella’s!” Chloe called out, and popped the cork from the champagne. She laughed as a little dribbled out of the top down her hand, and Beca’s heart nearly stopped beating as Chloe licked the alcohol from her fingers. The girls clustered around, getting their glasses filled, and then clinked them together, laughing and cheering each other.

Beca slowly sipped her champagne. She moved to sit against the headboard of one of the beds, and Ashley sat down next to her, congratulating her on such an awesome mix. They began to chat, although Beca had a little trouble keeping her mind on the conversation as Chloe started dancing with Stacie.

“Alright, who’s ready for some of the hard stuff?” Cynthia Rose called out, holding up a bottle of vodka in one hand and an obnoxiously large bottle of tequila. She set it on the desk where the glasses and ice bucket were, along with several bottles of soda and juice for mixers.

“Excellent! Oh, let’s play a drinking game!” Amy shouted, to general cheers. She and Jessica pushed the other queen bed until it was flush against the bed Beca and Ashley were sitting on, while Aubrey, Stacie and Lily made drinks and passed them around. Eventually, they were all sitting on the beds in a circle with a drink in their hand (or for a couple of them, a drink and champagne). Chloe ended up across from Beca, and she gave her a saucy wink as she swallowed the last of the champagne straight from the bottle. Beca gulped.

“Alright, let’s play Never Have I!” Cynthia Rose called, as she kicked her shoes off to stretch out. “That’s the game where each person makes a statement starting with never have I…and if you’ve done it, you take a drink. Anyone up for that?”

She was met with cheers. “Alright, let’s see…we’ll start off with an easy one. Never have I been a National Champion!”

The girls all laughed and took swigs of their drinks.

“Never have I gotten a tattoo,” said Jessica, and Beca, Chloe, Ashley, Cynthia Rose, and Fat Amy drank. Beca couldn’t help smiling at Chloe, remembering the conversation they’d had when they first met about their bug tattoos.

“Never have I gone skinny dipping,” Aubrey said, laughing at Chloe whose face turned red as she took another drink. _I’ll have to ask her about that sometime_ , Beca thought to herself as she felt her cheeks warm slightly.

“Oh, that’s how you want to play it? Alright, never have I gotten arrested,” Chloe said, and watched with a smirk as Aubrey, Beca, Lily and Stacie all drank. 

“Whoa, didn’t realize I’d been hanging out with a bunch of criminals all year!” Amy cried good naturedly. “What did you guys do? Although Beca, we know yours, unless you’ve done more than throw a trophy through a window?”

Beca laughed as she shook her head, but most of the girls were looking at Aubrey curiously. “Mine was just a simple thing back when I was a sophomore,” Aubrey explained, “I was at a feminine rights protest and several of us got detained. But it’s not like I was charged or anything! Stacie, Lil, what did you guys do?”

“Public nudity,” Stacie replied blithely, while Lily said something too softly to be heard – which was probably a good thing.

The questions continued, ranging from fun, get-to-know-you questions, to outright risqué. Beca was on her third drink – or was it her fourth? She was definitely feeling warm, and was also having a somewhat difficult time keeping her eyes off of Chloe. The redhead had changed into a dress that was particularly low cut at the front, so there was ample cleavage, and Beca’s eyes kept getting drawn to it. Chloe noticed, and licked her lips – this was enough to send a tremor through Beca.

Fat Amy noticed this interaction, and her eyes lit up. “Here’s a really good one,” she announced, an evil glint in her eyes. “Never have I…kissed someone in this room, in the past 24 hours.”

Beca’s mouth dropped open in shock. Seriously? She glanced from Amy’s smirk, to Chloe.

Chloe simply shrugged her shoulders, grinned at everyone, and knocked back the rest of her drink. There was a silence, and –

“Fuck it,” Beca said, and tossed the rest of her drink in her mouth.

“YES! I knew it! I won, aca-bitches, now pay up! Y’all owe me twenty bucks!” Amy cheered.

“Wait, the bet about Beca and I was real?” Chloe asked. Her mouth dropped open when Aubrey handed over a $20 bill to Amy. “You too?” she asked. Aubrey nodded, an apologetic grin on her face.

“There was a bet about us? And you knew?” Beca said to Chloe, just as shocked.

Chloe winked and mouthed ‘tell you later’, because Aubrey was hugging her, and Cynthia Rose was asking Beca for details, and the rest of the Bella’s were chattering excitedly.

“Hey guys, it’s after party time!” Stacie called out over the din. The girls started getting up, smoothing out their outfits and checking their hair in the mirror. As they started heading out the door, Beca surreptitiously kept back until it was just her and Chloe left. She took her hand, holding her back until the door closed, then pushed her up against it. Beca leaned forward and kissed Chloe, a searing kiss that left Chloe panting slightly when they parted.

“Wow,” Chloe said after a moment. “I could get used to that.”

“Glad to hear it,” Beca replied with a smirk. “I kinda had too anyway, after sitting across from you for so long in such an…appealing outfit.”

Chloe glanced down at her cleavage and chuckled, then reached a hand up to pull Beca in for another kiss. “You’re the reason I’m wearing it, so enjoy.”

“So, you’re definitely still good with…this, then? With us, like, being a thing?” Beca asked her.

Chloe grinned. “That’s a definite yes. There’s _nothing_ I want more, than for us to be a thing. I’m not going anywhere, Mitchell.”

“Good,” Beca breathed, and leaned over for another kiss.

“Hey you two, the elevator’s arrived! Stop making out and hurry up!” came Cynthia Rose’s voice from the other side of the door, accompanied by a few thuds against it. Chloe chuckled, gave Beca one last kiss, and laced her fingers through Beca’s.

“Coming!” Chloe called back, pulling the door open and tugging Beca along. They hurried to catch up to the elevator, where the rest of the girls were crammed inside. Aubrey shot Chloe a wink and a smirk, but Chloe didn’t even care – she had just kissed Beca Mitchell, and it was the best thing in the world.

___________________________________________________________

The party was raging when they finally made it to the rooftop. It was an indoor club, but one whole wall was floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the city, and there was an outdoor patio area. The Bellas immediately claimed a large table neat the window, which was a close distance to both the bar and the dancefloor.

As Beca sat on one of the stools, Chloe came up behind her and ran her hands over Beca’s bare arms, appreciating that the brunette had gone for a tank top with skinny jeans so she could do just that. “I’m going to the bar, I’ll get us some drinks,” she said into Beca’s ear, and planted a kiss just below her earlobe. Beca shivered slightly, and watched Chloe walk away with Aubrey, Amy, and Stacie.

“Dude, you and Chloe? That’s awesome!” Cynthia Rose said, snagging the tool next to her.

Beca grinned. “Yeah, it is pretty awesome. It was after we performed, when Chloe went out because of, uh-“

“Jesse trying to kiss you? Yeah, we all saw it, and we all saw you go after Chloe too. I’m happy for you,” Cynthia Rose told her sincerely. “You guys make the perfect couple, I can’t believe it took you guys this long to get together. I bet you’re happy she’s staying another year, huh?”

“I can’t believe it still,” Beca admitted. “We haven’t had a chance to talk about it. It sucks that she failed a class, but I also was mentally blocking the thought of her leaving, so it’s worked out perfect for us. Although we literally haven’t spoken about us yet, other than that we’re a thing, so I guess I don’t really know what’s to come.”

Cynthia Rose grinned, and clapped Beca on the shoulder. “But you gals have plenty of time to figure things out. Now, I just gotta find me a girl, and all will be right with the world.”

Beca chuckled, and they continued chatting – about the ICCA’s, school, anything. Beca was really enjoying herself, particularly now that the stress of the ICCA’s was over.

“Cheers, ladies!” Amy cried as she returned with Chloe, Aubrey and Stacie, all with multiple drinks in their hands. They handed the drinks out so everyone had one, and Beca took a slow sip from the orange drink Chloe handed her. Vodka sunrise. The girls all clinked their glasses together, toasting to their success.

Chloe was standing right next to Beca, so she brought one arm to hang around Beca’s shoulder – which allowed her fingers access to trace patterns on Beca’s upper arms. Beca automatically wrapped her arm around Chloe’s waist, tugging her a little closer.

“You guys are just too adorable together,” Ashley said with a smile, watching them.

“I’m not adorable,” Beca protested, and Chloe chuckled.

“Yeah, you kind of are,” she corrected. “But she was saying we were adorable, not you as an individual person, is that better?” She laughed again at Beca’s fake scowl. 

“I just wish you guys had realized your feelings sooner, my bet was that you’d get together during Spring Break,” Stacie told them.

Ashley groaned. “I was way off, I had bet on back in October.”

Chloe and Beca’s eyebrows both raised high simultaneously. “When did you guys start this bet?” Chloe asked.

Cynthia Rose smiled apologetically. “Uh, like after the first couple Bella rehearsals. Sorry guys, but your toner for each other was so obvious. I actually couldn’t believe Aubrey thought you were interested in Jesse, Beca.” At that, Beca choked on her drink.

Chloe laughed again, realizing her cheeks were starting to hurt from laughing and smiling so much. She downed the rest of her drink, feeling the alcohol flow through her. 

“Easy on the drinks, Chloe,” Beca said lightly, although she was smirking and sipping from her own drink.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. I’m not that drunk, just enough to be able to frisk you later when we’re in bed,” Chloe replied blithely.

Beca’s eyebrows shot up, and the thought of Chloe touching her made her ears burn. Before she could respond, however, Titanium started playing through the club speakers.

“Oh my god, it’s our song! We _have_ to dance,” Chloe said as her eyes lit up, and she laced her fingers through Beca’s to tug the brunette to her feet. 

“It’s party time!” Amy called out, and they all got up from their seats. The Bella’s headed to the dancefloor, and began moving to the beat. They stayed mostly in a group, but Chloe didn’t leave Beca’s side at all. They danced together, laughing and talking loudly over the music. Chloe couldn’t remember the last time she had completely let herself go like this, just forgotten about her troubles and blasted music and just _was_.

The atmosphere of the club was perfect. The DJ was pretty skilled ( _although he doesn’t hold a flame to Beca_ , Chloe thought), and at one point he did a shout out to the Barden Bellas, National Champions. The girls shrieked themselves hoarse with excitement, and Chloe was glad she wasn’t too drunk because she wanted to remember this night forever.

Beca was having just as much an awesome time as Chloe was, however wasn’t as used to dancing in clubs like the redhead seemed to be. After countless songs, she felt the heat of the bodies around her start to feel like too much, and she needed to take a break. “I need some water!” Beca shouted over the music, and Chloe nodded. “I’ll get you some.”

Beca gave Chloe’s hand a squeeze and let go, allowing the redhead to turn to Aubrey to dance with, and weaved her way through the dancing, sweaty bodies. She stopped at the table where Lily and Denise were talking. “I’m getting water, do you guys want anything to drink?” The girls shook their heads, so she continued over to the bar. 

There was a self serve water station at the end of the bar. Beca poured a glass and drank it straight away, relishing in the feel of the cool liquid. She poured another two glasses, and turned away from the bar to almost run straight into someone.

Jesse.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Jesse.

Of course he’d be here, it was the ICCA’s after party, and all groups that performed were invited. Beca simply hadn’t considered the possibility that she could run into him, because ever since the moment that she kissed Chloe, she’d been unable to think of anything else.

“Beca,” he said, a myriad of emotions running across his face. Sadness, frustration, confusion…maybe even the tiniest flicker of anger? Beca sat the glasses back down on the bar.

“Jesse,” she responded evenly, unsure of what else to say. She felt awkward, and wasn’t sure what to do, but he was blocking her path so she had no choice but to stay and listen to him.

“Look, I want to apologize,” he said, and her eyebrows shot up. She wasn’t expecting this. “I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you then. I know you don’t like PDA’s and stuff, and that wasn’t the right place. “

Beca thought she could dimly see where this was headed, but kept quiet, allowing Jesse to say what he needed to say.

“I’m not going to let you get away that quickly though, Beca” he continued. “Give me another chance, let’s blow this after party and go somewhere more private. We can-”

“Jesse, stop,” Beca interrupted. “I’m sorry, but no. I thought I’d made it clear to you that I’m not interested in you like that. I want you to be my friend, nothing more. I’m sorry if that’s not enough, but we’re never going to be more than that.”

Jesse’s face darkened slightly. “No, Beca, you can’t just say that. We should be together. That’s how it’s supposed to work out, the guy gets the girl and all that.”

Beca frowned, and shook her head emphatically. “Jesse, I’m sorry, but no. Life isn’t like the movies. It’s never going to happen. I’m sorry to upset you, but I can’t give you the wrong idea. I’m going to leave now, goodbye.”

She turned to leave, but suddenly felt a tight pressure on her wrist. Jesse had grabbed her arm, tugging her back around to face him, but didn’t let go. “You can’t just walk away from me, Beca,” he said, his tone soft but his eyes sharp.

“Jesse, let go of my arm,” Beca said, her tone serious. “You’re hurting me.” She tried to tug her arm back, but his grip tightened.

“No, I’m not letting you walk away without talking to me,” he told her. “Please. It’s not fair.”

“Yeah, well life’s not fair, now let me go!” Beca said louder, yanking at her arm. His grip tightened even more, and she let out a hiss of pain.

“Beca, you-” he began, but was suddenly cut off.

“HEY! Get your hands off my girlfriend right now,” came a sharp, deadly voice from behind Beca. Jesse released her wrist instantly, and Beca turned to see Chloe striding over, flanked by Aubrey and Cythina Rose. There was fire in Chloe’s eyes and a look of anger that Beca never thought she’d see on Chloe’s normally bubbly, bright face.

Chloe’s eyes met Beca’s, searching them to make sure she was okay, and then turned to face Jesse. He stood there, mouth open in shock.

“Beca is not your girlfriend, she never was, and she never will,” Chloe spat at him. “Don’t you _ever_ touch her again, or you’ll have me to answer to.”

Jesse opened his mouth, but before he could say anthing, Benji and Donald appeared behind him. Donald grabbed Jesse’s shoulder and roughly pulled him away.

“Shit, Beca, are you okay? I can’t believe Jesse did that, he’s blind drunk, although that’s no excuse. Don’t worry, we’re getting him out of here, he won’t bother you again, I’m really sorry this happened,” Benji said in a rush. He shot an apologetic look at Beca and Chloe, then disappeared after the Trebles.

Before Beca could say anything, Chloe spun around to face her. Reaching out a shaking hand, she cupped her palm under Beca’s arm and gently lifted it, examining her wrist.

“There’s probably going to be a bruise tomorrow,” Chloe said. “God, Beca, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Beca said, not realizing her voice was shaking slightly. “He was pissed about tonight, and wanted me to give him a second chance, and got really angry when I told him no. I’ve never seen him like that before.”

Chloe reached forward and brushed a piece of Beca’s hair out of her eyes. “Well, if I have anything to say about it, he’s never stepping foot near you again.”

“Damn straight he won’t,” growled Cynthia Rose. “Us Bella’s got your back.”

Aubrey nodded, and gave Beca a reassuring smile. “I’m glad you’re okay. Cynthia Rose and I are going to go back to the table now, though, give you guys some privacy.” She elbowed Cynthia Rose when she didn’t move straight away, and the two disappeared into the crowd.

Chloe immediately pulled Beca into a tight hug, clinging on and pressing her face into Beca’s shoulder. Beca held on just as tight, and the two stood there for several very long moments, not saying anything, just taking comfort in each other. 

Finally, they drew apart, and Beca laced her fingers through Chloe’s. “How did you even know what was going on?” she asked.

Chloe blushed slightly. “I might have been watching you since you left the dance floor. I couldn’t help that you’re so damn attractive. But then I saw Jesse approach you, and I think Aubrey and Cynthia Rose saw as well because they didn’t even say anything, just followed me over here.”

“Thanks,” Beca told her sincerely. “Honestly, I’m fine. I’m just in shock over what just happened. He seemed like such a good guy.”

Chloe nodded. “I know. And I’m sorry you’ve really lost him as a friend now.”

Beca shrugged. “Well, now I have Aubrey, and the rest of the Bella’s, so I’m set in the friend   
department. However…” she trailed off with a smirk, and Chloe raised her eyebrows. “I must admit, I do like that you called me your girlfriend.”

Chloe beamed. “Yeah, I know we never officially decided that’s what we were to each other – if I recall properly, you were just happy for us to be ‘a thing’. But if you’re cool with it,-”

“Yeah, I am definitely cool with it,” Beca interrupted, and saw Chloe’s smile widen even further. She leaned in and gave Chloe a slow kiss, hoping the redhead could feel how happy she was in the kiss.

Eventually, Chloe had to break away for the sake of getting oxygen into her lungs. She rested her forehead on Beca’s. “Do you want to leave?” she asked, her eyes searching Beca’s. “I’m pissed he ruined the night. But I’m okay with going back to the room with you, or-”

“My night’s not ruined,” Beca interrupted again. “Sorry, eventually I’ll let you start finishing sentences again. But really, I’d rather just forget about him and keep having fun. Because I just got to kiss Chloe Beale, and it was the best thing in the world.”

Chloe’s mouth dropped open in surprise, and pressed a hard kiss to Beca’s lips. “Wow,” she breathed. “You sure know how to flatter a girl.”

“Yeah, well you make it easy for me,” Beca replied.

“Wow, you’ve really got the charm turned on tonight, don’t you!” Cloe said brightly, slightly surprised with how…open Beca was being, but also loving every second of it.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that – wait, I did, but – ugh, you make me flustered,” Beca protested at Chloe’s grin. She took a breath to recompose herself, and considered what she was trying to say. “I meant that I wouldn’t be like this with anyone else, I’m not like this with anyone else. But you make me feel comfortable, and make me want to be honest. And getting to kiss you, and be with you, and knowing that we’re finally together – that is the best thing I can think of, more than winning the ICCA’s.”

Chloe leaned forward and pressed another hard kiss to Beca’s mouth, simply expressing her feelings through a kiss. Beca smiled after, laced their fingers together, and together they headed back to their table.

The rest of the Bella’s were all there waiting, and they immediately began asking how Beca was, and commenting on how shocked they were at Jesse’s behaviour.

“It’s all right, guys, I’m fine,” Beca announced to the group when there was a lull in the chatter. “Honestly, I’d rather just forget about it. All that matters is that we’re here together, and we have the whole rest of the night ahead of us, and we’re officially National champions!”

The Bella’s cheered at that, and those who still had another drink, raised them up.

“Alright, then if everything’s fine here, I’m going to go get my dance on,” Amy said with a grin. “There are too many cute boys out on that dance floor that deserve the chance to dance with this!” She seductively ran her hands down her body with a wink, and turned to head back to the dance floor. Stacie laughed and followed along. 

“Hey, wanna go check out the DJ booth?” Chloe asked Beca, her eyes twinkling. “He did do a shout out to us before. I bet you could probably sweet talk your way into the booth!”

Beca shook her head with a laugh, but let Chloe pull her away, weaving through the writhing bodies on the dance floor, and then stopping at the DJ booth.

Chloe rapped on the glass and the DJ stuck his head out, slipping one of the headphone cups down so he could hear her. It was too loud to hear what Chloe was saying in his ear, but he was nodding and smiling, and motioned them in.

The booth was tiny, but he gestured to the computer and told Beca to “have at it, show us what you’ve got.”

Beca grinned. Leaning forward, she let her fingers lightly brush the dials, before she selected a few songs on the laptop and cued them up. As the current song playing came to an end, Beca flipped the microphone switch on. “This next one’s for the Barden Bella’s, the hottest and most talented girls out there!”

Run The World started blasting through the club, met by cheers and whoops. Beca could see the Bellas all joining Amy and Stacie on the dance floor, and she motioned for Chloe to go join them. Chloe did so, and threw her hands up, losing herself into the beat. Beca watched her for a moment, grinning, then effortlessly mashed the song into Titanium. Her grin widened when she saw the complete delight on Chloe’s face. She let the chorus wash over the crowd, and blended in Give Me Everything to finish up. As it played, she thanked the DJ, gave him a fist bump, and headed out of the booth towards her friends.

Chloe was dancing loose, hands in the air and head thrown back. When she saw Beca, she gave a delighted cry and reached out for her. Beca let herself be pulled into the embrace, and started moving to the beat. Jesse was long forgotten in her mind. All she cared about was the music playing, her friends around her, and Chloe in her arms.

________________________________________________________________________________________

“Ugh, I need water…” came a groan.

Chloe opened her eyes, and was greeted with a faceful of hair. She brushed it away, to see Beca fast asleep, draped over her chest with her head nestled into Chloe’s neck. Chloe turned her head to see Aubrey slowly swinging her feet to the floor. 

“Hungover much?” Chloe asked her with a smile, yawning, and using the hand that wasn’t currently wrapped around Beca’s torso to rub the sleep from her eyes.

“It was those last few shots that Stace gave me that really did me in,” Aubrey replied. She stood up, stretching and yawning. “I can’t believe it’s already ten in the morning.”

“Well, considering we didn’t make it back to the hotel til what, three? Four? I’m not surprised we slept in,” Chloe said.

“True,” Aubrey agreed. “And we all made it back in one piece. Right now, I’m just thankful Stacie managed to flirt with the front desk manager enough to swing us a late check out, we don’t have to leave for a couple more hours. I’m going to go have a shower, then check on the other rooms to make sure they’re getting up.”

Chloe nodded as Aubrey headed to the bathroom. She absently brought her hand up to run her fingers through Beca’s hair, replaying the previous night in her head. Performing. Kissing Beca. Dancing. Kissing Beca some more. Celebrating with the Bellas. Beca…

Beca started to stretch in Chloe’s arms, and lifted her head to glance around.

“Hey,” she said softly, a smile growing when she met Chloe’s eyes.

“Hey yourself,” Chloe said back, just as softly. “Sleep well?”

“In your arms? Of course,” Beca replied, supressing a yawn and laying her head back on Chloe’s chest.

Chloe smirked lightly. “You’re quite the charmer when you wake up,” she said, dropping a light kiss on the crown of Beca’s head.

“Yeah, well that’s me, Beca Mitchell,” Beca replied and rolled over to prop herself up on one arm, allowing her to look at Chloe properly. Beautiful, she thought, taking in Chloe’s red hair splayed on the pillow, bright eyes shining up, and singlet top riding dangerously low.

“Take a photo, it lasts longer,” Chloe said dryly, and winked.

“Don’t tempt me or I will,” Beca retorted. “So, I didn’t dream last night, right?”

“You mean the part about us winning Nationals, or the part where Amy convinced that guy to give her his boxers, or maybe the part where Lily hit the emergency button in the elevator on the way back to the rooms and it took five minutes to get it started again?” Chloe asked.

“Dork,” Beca said, shaking her head and laughing. “I actually meant the part where this super hot redhead kissed me, and called me her girlfriend, and danced with me all night long.”

Chloe sighed happily. “First, thanks for calling me hot. Second, either we were dreaming the exact same dream, or we might actually be lucky enough that this is actually real.” She reached her head up slightly, and Beca met her halfway with a kiss. “Yep, we’re definitely lucky,” she continued. “And I’m definitely going to make sure there’s a lot more kissing and dancing together in our future.”

“ _Our_ future, huh?” Beca asked her. “Already planning ahead?”

“Well, I’m definitely not planning on renting a U-Haul anytime soon,” Chloe said with a smirk, “but honestly? I’ve had feelings for you for nearly a year now. And now that I can finally call you my girlfriend, there’s no chance that I’m letting you go anytime soon.”

Beca bit her lip, her stomach fluttering at Chloe’s words, and grinned. “And I have zero plans to let you go either. I just wish we hadn’t taken so damn long to tell each other how we feel.”

“I know,” Chloe agreed, and reached her hand back up to Beca’s hair and ran her fingers through the brown locks. “But all that matters is that now, finally, we’re together.”

“Together,” Beca agreed, and she leaned back down to Chloe, sealing the sentence with a kiss.

**Fin**


End file.
